


Promise Me

by djinwonderland



Category: Death Note & Related Fandoms, Death Note (Anime & Manga), Death Note (Movies)
Genre: Drama, F/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-19
Updated: 2019-02-19
Packaged: 2019-10-31 10:42:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 37,921
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17847938
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/djinwonderland/pseuds/djinwonderland
Summary: Akemi just wanted her life to take a more exciting turn like in the books she reads. Adventure shows up, but not in a way she ever could have imagined. She never expected to meet someone like L.





	1. One.

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first time ever posting on this site so I apologize if anything is incorrect. I'm still getting used to all of this. Thanks to my friend Steph for helping me through it and for improving the summary vastly from what I had started with.
> 
> There's some OC's in this and it takes a little bit for canon characters to show up but I promise, they do. Also, I like to base my fics on fairy tales/fantasy films and it's more than obvious which one inspired this one. - D

"Miss Yoru, please put that fantasy book away and pay attention. I would expect this kind of behavior from a first year but not from you."

Akemi sighed heavily, not wanting to do as her professor asked, but she reluctantly closed her book and slid it into her bag, feeling a little nervous that all eyes were on her now. "Sorry, professor," she said, trying really hard to hold back an eyeroll, succeeding for the most part. She saved it for the second after everyone, including the instructor, stopped looking at her. The rest of the class went back to listening to the lecture while Akemi just directed her attention to the window, wishing the school year could be over already even though it had just started.

It was the first day of Akemi's final year at To-Oh University. She was more than ready to leave this place and venture out into the world and discover bigger and better things. Class lectures didn't excite her anymore like they had when she was a first year. They were just part of her every day routine at the university and she had already had enough to last her through the year despite it being the first day of the semester. The professor announcing that they were dismissed was like music to her ears. It was finally time for her to get something to eat.

While Akemi was getting her lunch, she overheard some students discussing Kira and the latest murders allegedly committed by him. Like most people in the world, Akemi knew about Kira. She heard a group of students bragging about how they were supporters of that murderer. It nearly made her lose her appetite. She couldn't believe there were people out there who thought murder was a good thing.

Akemi sat alone in the cafeteria at her own table with her headphones on and her book open again while she started eating her lunch. There were people walking passed her, whispering about her but she did her best to ignore them. This had been happening for at least the past two years and by now, it barely even phased her. Most people thought she was antisocial or stuck up but she simply liked reading more than she liked conversing with people. Once she gets lost in a book, it's simply too difficult for her to put it down. Plus, it was a positive distraction from all the Kira news she had to listen to every single day.

While Akemi was minding her own business, someone stepped up behind her, pulled her headphones down from her ears and nearly yelled, "Hello, Akemi!"

Instantly recognizing that voice, Akemi's expression turned annoyed. "Hello, Doran." She turned around to see him standing behind her, with his shorter, more exuberant best friend at his side. "Can I help you?"

Doran didn't reply and instead, he snatched her book right out of her hands. "You're reading again? Who reads extra books  _in_  class and then at lunch? You know, you read too much."

"Yeah, well you talk too much," Akemi fired back, reaching for her book but he moved it out of her range so she missed.

Doran's friend laughed. "She's got you there, buddy…"

Unamused, Doran shoved his shoulder, nearly knocking him over. "You're one to talk, Hema. Anyway, Akemi, don't you think it's a little pitiful how someone as cute as you spends more time reading than on more important things?"

"And what do you think is more important than that?" Akemi wondered, knowing the answer would more than likely be shallow and primitive. "Really, I would love to hear this one." She folded her arms then lifted her right hand, resting her chin on it as she waited to hear his response.

"Well, having friends, socializing, relationships, dating…." Akemi did not like the suggestive look he gave her when he said that last word. It made her cringe. "Every time I see you, you're alone and no one should be alone as often as you."

"If this is your way of asking me out again, the answer is no," Akemi told him bluntly. "I mean, this is, what, the third year you've tried to get me to go out with you for reasons I honestly don't know but are probably shallow beyond all comprehension? This must be your yearly tradition. And my tradition is saying no…"

"Well, why not?" Doran pried. "Don't you think it's time the two best looking people in this university finally started dating?!"

"Yep, I knew it…" Akemi remarked, rolling her eyes. Doran may have been tall, athletic and exceptionally attractive and most of the people at the university either swooned over him or idolized him but that didn't matter much to her. "Doran, I'm not going to date you just because you think we're the best looking people here, okay? There has to be more to it than that. We need some kind of connection-"

"But I have endless connections, a lot of friends and my family has money," Doran informed her, missing the point entirely. "What more does a woman need than that?"

"Okay, if you took any time to actually get to know me these past four years instead of spending all day staring at me and thinking creepy thoughts, you would know that none of that matters to me," Akemi told him. "Now, please, if you could just-"

"How can I get to know you if you won't give me a chance to?" Doran just wouldn't back down. "You won't give anyone a chance to for that matter…"

"Why do you care so much? Just mind your own business and find someone else! How hard is that?"

"You know, the more you say no, the more I can tell that the answer deep down is yes and I just need to figure out how to wear you down," he said through a smirk as his eyes stared creepily at her, making her cringe again.

She stood up from her seat, grabbed her book back from him and gave him no time to continue on. "Okay, I don't know what planet you come from to believe something like that, I mean, maybe it's natural for your species to think that everything someone says means the opposite of what they intend, but my answer is a clear, precise, unambiguous, definite, unwavering, indubitable and absolute  ** _no_** ," she declared and sat down and started to read where she left off before he interrupted her.

Doran was about to say something to her when Hema suggested, "I think maybe you should just leave her alone, buddy…" Doran almost erupted at his friend but then decided it would be best to leave her be and attempt another conversation later. Hema tried to change the subject and get his friend's mind on something else. "Oh! Hey, Doran, did you see that weird freshman representative at the entrance ceremony? What a freak, am I right?"

Doran quickly forgot about being rejected by Akemi and laughed. "Yeah, no wonder his score was so high, he looked like he never even went outside before."

"I mean, he couldn't even stand upright," Hema added through his chuckles. "And what was with that hair?! Who scores perfectly on an exam with questions on advanced calculus but doesn't even know what a comb is?"

They just continued laughing and criticizing a stranger they'd never even spoken to through tasteless comments and jokes.

Akemi had no clue who they were ridiculing since she had skipped the ceremony but she still thought their comments were juvenile and uncalled for. Their voices grew fainter as they walked away and Akemi was finally able to enjoy her lunch break by herself, imagining meeting someone even half as intriguing and as interesting as the characters in her book.

* * *

"So, how was your first day back at university?" Akemi's father, Kurai, inquired as he heard her stepping into the house.

"Ugh…" she sighed as she dropped her bag onto the floor and then kicked her shoes off. "Tedious."

"Have you made any new friends?" he asked curiously.

"Not really, no," she replied honestly as she approached him.

"Well, there's always time for that, I suppose," Kurai smiled and then gave her a hug. "It's your last year at that school, you should be making memories with friends. Even a few good ones can stay with you for a lifetime."

"Yeah and so can a few bad ones…" Akemi muttered vaguely. Kurai picked up that something was wrong.

"Did something happen?" he wondered.

"I don't know…" Akemi sighed and sat down on the couch. Her father sat on the chair next to it, listening as she continued. "Everybody thinks I'm weird and stuck up but I just can't connect with anyone there. And I guess some people think I read too much but, I can't help it, fiction just fascinates me more than socializing. Is that a bad thing?"

"Of course it isn't," he assured her. "Everyone is different. Everyone likes different things. But I know it's been a while since you've made a friend and you are a good person with a kind heart and I think you should at least try to open it up to someone again someday."

Akemi couldn't resist smiling a little at her father's comforting words. "Thanks, dad."

"And living in the real world isn't so bad," he chuckled as he stood up and then put his suit jacket on. "All I ask is you come down and visit it once in a while."

"Funny," Akemi said, still smiling. "Are you heading out?"

"I have a client to meet and a few errands to run," he replied, picking up his wallet and keys. "You staying home then?"

"Actually, I was thinking about heading over to the book store down the street soon, that new one at the mall just opened, and I wanted to explore it."

"That's fine. Just take your phone in case you need to call me while you're out," he advised.

"Will do. Later, dad."

* * *

Akemi always felt more at home at libraries and book stores than she did at her own house. She stepped through the fantasy aisles, browsing for titles and covers that caught her eye. While she was looking for an interesting book, she overheard people in the next aisle talking about current events in the news. More Kira business. Hearing about it multiple times in the same day made her heart break a little. There were people who believed Kira was a good thing and thought he was trying to make the world better and safer but Akemi felt less and less safe each day these killings were happening. "Do you think L is ever going to catch him?" she overheard one customer ask another. She didn't listen to their response and just muttered to herself, "I hope so. Boy, do I hope so…"

Now that she was finished browsing through the first fantasy books aisle, Akemi turned around to go to the next when someone appeared out of nowhere, almost running right into her. "Hey, Akemi!" Doran greeted. "Somehow I knew I'd find you here."

"I don't know if this is how it is on whatever planet you were born, but on Earth, there are laws against stalking in most countries," Akemi warned him. "Please go away."

"Akemi, just let me talk to you for a second," Doran insisted and grasped onto her jacket's sleeve so she couldn't walk away.

"Do you mind?" she asked, pushing his hand off. "I'm shopping."

"Yeah? So am I." Doran gave her that creepy grin and stare again. It made her uneasy and his comment confused her.

"You'd better be looking at the shelves behind me, I swear to god…" she said and then began to walk to the aisle closest to the register in case she needed to ask for assistance in dealing with him. Of course, he followed her. Akemi noticed something was missing. "I think you forgot something," she told Doran.

"Oh, you mean…" he smirked and reached for her hand but she pulled hers away before he could get a strong enough grasp on it.

"No! I meant, you forgot your toady," Akemi replied, meaning Hema. "You're usually attached at the hip. He's like your squeaky-voiced little shadow. Come to think of it, I don't think I've ever seen you two apart. This is a first. I'm kinda glad I actually got to see something new today."

Doran quickly changed the subject. "Well, Akemi, I was just wondering if you'd like to accompany me to a movie tonight."

"It's a school night," Akemi reminded him. He just laughed.

"You'll be home before dark, I promise," he said through his chuckles.

"That was my way of saying no," she told him. "Again. Now, please just leave me alone. Forever." Clearly, she wouldn't be able to concentrate on finding a book now so Akemi decided to just go home and wait for her father to return. She turned and walked out of the bookstore, making her way to the mall's front entrance with Doran tagging right behind. "Akemi, wait!" he called, his voice echoing through the mall, causing her to shudder from the embarrassment of people's eyes glancing at them since he brought attention to them. She was about to go out the front door when she realized it had just started storming and she didn't have her umbrella with her.

Doran knew she didn't have a car and took this as an opportunity. "It's raining. Come on, just let me give you a ride home."

"I have a hood," she said, lifting it up over her head. "I'll be fine. It's only a few blocks."

"Come on, the last thing you want is to get sick during the first week of the semester."

Akemi could think of worse things. "No, the last thing I want right now is more unwanted attention from you. Pneumonia sounds like a walk in the park compared to dealing with you. At least it might go away eventually…"

"Akemi, please," Doran insisted. His voice had a serious tone she had never heard from him before. He actually sounded genuinely concerned about her. "You will get sick if you walk in this. It's pouring and it isn't safe. I'll get my car and I'll drive you home."

Akemi wasn't really sure of what to do. Part of her wanted to trust him but the other part told her to run off into the storm and never look back. She wondered if there was a single speck inside of Doran that could sincerely care about someone. Even though it seemed like most people constantly let her down, she wanted to believe everyone was capable of harboring at least the slightest bit of good inside of them. Yet this was the first time she had ever seen him attempt to do something nice for someone else. It didn't feel real. But she hoped that it was.

After thinking about it, she decided to trust him. She sighed heavily, as if she was admitting defeat. "Fine."

Doran smiled. "Okay, I'll get my car-"

"But! No gawking at, talking to, flirting with, thinking pervy thoughts about or touching me. Got it?" She pointed a finger at him in warning.

"Got it," he agreed. Akemi waited while he got his car and then he stopped by the front entrance so she could get inside. The second she got in and closed the door, she started to regret her choice but still held onto a tiny shrivel of hope that the drive might actually be uneventful and Doran might act like a gentleman for once and respect her boundaries.

The drive was quiet for the first minute. Akemi started to unwind a little since it appeared like Doran was actually following through what she asked. But once she realized he was driving in the opposite direction of her house, she began to panic. "Doran, where are you-"

"It's just a short detour," he assured her. She studied his expression and she had a feeling he was lying. "Just relax."

Akemi did anything but relax. "No! You promised you would take me home and this is NOT even close! Where are you taking me?"

"I just have to make one stop while I'm in the neighborhood." His voice was calm and direct, with no signs of hostility. "It's no big deal."

"You're driving me away from my home on purpose, aren't you? God, and to think that I actually trusted you! I knew I shouldn't have!" Akemi's heart was pounding now. "Doran, PLEASE take me home!"

"I can't yet, I'm on a one way street," he told her.

"Then pull over and let me out!" she ordered.

"What-"

"I SAID LET ME OUT!"

She screamed so loudly, it startled him. He stopped at a red light and Akemi saw this as her chance. She quickly unlocked her door and darted out of the car as Doran called after her to get back in. Akemi ran out of the street and into an empty alley behind some abandoned buildings and tried to catch her breath as the rain poured down on her. "God…." she groaned through deep breaths. "Why did I trust him…? Akemi, you're such an idiot…."

She walked through the alleys and she knew she wouldn't make it home before night would darken the stormy sky even more. Suddenly, Akemi heard a car driving behind her as if it was following her. She glanced behind her shoulder and could see two headlights moving closer. She knew it wasn't her father since that wasn't his car. It didn't look like Doran's car either. Akemi picked up speed and ran as fast as she could, hoping to lose them. When she came to an alley with a fence blocking the exit, she climbed over it, nearly sliding off several times because of the rain. Once she was on the other side, she jumped down onto the muddy, broken concrete and continued running. This didn't stop her pursuers. They just floored it and drove right through the fence. Bullets started flying toward her and she screamed and managed to dodge them. She expected to feel one hitting her any moment but still kept running. Akemi zigzagged through alleys and finally, she saw two cars in the distance stopped at a red light with people inside who could possibly help her. She approached the closest one and pounded on the driver's window, startling the man inside. "What the-"

"Please, you have to help me! There are people following me and I think they're trying to kill me! Please let me inside!" Akemi cried, banging on the window in desperation. She heard the click of the doors being unlocked and quickly jumped into the back seat of the car, slamming the door shut behind her.

"What did they look like?" the driver asked her.

"I don't know, I just saw their car," Akemi replied, her voice and body trembling. "Please get me out of here…"

"Can you describe the car?"

"It was a black Mitsubishi, I think…They ran into a fence so there's some damage on the front….And I think the plate numbers said 10-17…but it was dark…"

The driver picked up a radio and spoke into it, telling all fellow officers to be on the lookout for a car matching her descriptions. Akemi couldn't believe she didn't realize this was a police officer at first. He was wearing a suit instead of a uniform and she didn't notice his radio and equipment on the dash until he'd used it. The other car that had been idling next to his had just sped off. It was another officer who had heard the call and left to look for the people who were after Akemi.

"Don't worry, you're safe now," the officer promised her after seeing her crying and shivering through his rear view mirror as he started to drive down the street. "By the way, I'm Detective Matsui." His name was actually Matsuda but aliases for officers were necessary since several FBI agents had been killed by Kira.

"I'm Akemi Yoru," she told him as she tried to calm down. Akemi dreaded being questioned more thoroughly about all of this. She didn't know what was happening nor did she know how to explain it. All she wanted to do was go home and make sure her dad was safe. But she knew she couldn't. Matsuda drove on through the storm until he reached a hotel. The fact that he brought her here instead of a police station confused her but she was too anxious and tense to worry too much about it. This man helped her so she trusted him. "I just have to check with the higher ups on what we should do," he explained. Akemi didn't protest.

Matsuda helped Akemi out of the car and held his umbrella over her as he walked her into the hotel. He checked in at the front desk and then they stopped in front of one of the room's doors. "It's alright, this is just where our headquarters are," he assured her, noticing she was still trembling. He took out his cell phone and called a number. Akemi just stood next to him in the hall, staring down at her feet while she tried not to cry again. It had already been a horrendous evening and she knew she was going to have to face more officers who may not have been as nice as this man. "Ryuzaki, it's me," Matsuda said into his phone. "I'm standing outside the room with someone. Can you see us?" He was referring to the security cameras and monitors they had set up inside and outside of the room.

"I can," the voice on the other line replied. "Who is that with you?"

"She was being chased and shot at while we were checking up on those leads," Matsuda said. "I radioed it in earlier and he took off after them. Her name is Akemi Yoru."

The long pause on the other end concerned Akemi. The next few moments felt like hours to her since all she wanted was to know what was going to happen to her next.

Finally, there was a response. "Let her in."

Akemi had never felt so simultaneously tense and relieved in her entire life.


	2. Two.

"Ryuzaki, are you sure about this?" Aizawa asked before Matsuda and Akemi were let into the room. "We don't know anything about this girl! She could be Kira or she could be working with him to find you!"

"I did consider that but I highly doubt that's the case," the detective known to the world as L replied, his voice soft and calm. Ryuzaki was one of his several aliases. "There's a very small percent chance that she's dangerous. Please let her in so that I may speak with her."

"You're going to let her see you?!" Aizawa couldn't believe it. "It took weeks to get you to trust us enough so we could see your face, now this girl gets to meet you after just showing up here?!"

"Aizawa, if you keep yelling, she might hear you and it will only scare her," L told him, remaining calm. "This is going to be difficult enough for her. And she won't know that I'm L. Now, if you please…"

Aizawa wanted to continue asking why he seemed to trust this stranger more than them but before he could say anything else, Chief Soichiro Yagami stopped him. "It's alright, Aizawa. I'm sure Ryuzaki has his reasons for doing this. But I agree. Perhaps it would be best to take extra precautions just in case she's looking for L and puts two and two together."

"I don't think it's necessary, but if it eases your concerns, have her sit in one of the bedrooms and I'll speak with and monitor her from here," L agreed.

There were no further suggestions or questions and they did exactly as he asked.

When the room's front door opened, Akemi didn't even look up and see who was letting them inside. She just kept her despondent eyes down at her feet as Matsuda walked her through the door and into one of the bedrooms that they had set up surveillance in so L could communicate with her. She sat down on a chair and Matsuda, Aizawa and Mogi stayed with her while L began to question her.

"Miss Yoru," a distorted voice said over a speaker. "If you don't mind, I have some questions I need to ask you."

Akemi kept her gaze lowered. She just wanted to get this over with. "I already told Matsui everything I knew…I just want to go home…Please…"

The voice continued speaking to her. "Have you ever been arrested or done anything illegal in the past?"

"No…"

"What about your family?"

"Not that I know of…"

"Do you have any direct ties to anyone who may have been involved in any criminal activity?"

"God, I don't know…I don't think so…Why?"

"Because we need to know the motive behind the attack on you," L explained. "If someone from your family angered people who don't uphold the law, they could have done this as an act of vengeance."

"Well, I wouldn't know…"

"I have just acquired some information about your father. Kurai Yoru is his name, correct?"

Akemi nodded slightly, still refraining from looking up. "Yes."

"Tell me, where is your father right now?"

"If he isn't home then I don't know…He just told me he was meeting a client and had errands to run. That's all I know…"

"Have you contacted him since? At all?"

"No. I would've called him but it was storming and I didn't want to damage my phone."

"And he hasn't sent you any messages or tried to call you?"

She took her phone out to check just in case. But there was nothing. "No."

"He didn't happen to say who this client was?"

"No. Why are you asking me about my dad?"

L just got right to the point. "It appears that he's somehow involved in embezzling funds from various companies. Do you know anything about that?"

That caused her to finally look up. "What? No, of course not. My dad would never do something like that."

"It seems he has a connection to a wanted criminal who was murdered just a few hours ago. I had officers check on some leads to possible suspects and one of those officers happened to find you. And after digging, I discovered the embezzlement and traced it to your father. And now, you're here. Seems like more than a coincidence, don't you think?"

"Are you implying I had something to do with this?" Akemi asked. "Do you think I'm involved? Are you accusing me?"

"No one is accusing you of anything. I just need to know every detail about what happened today so we can figure out who is after you and pinpoint your father's involvement. There's always a chance he was acting against his will or that he's being blackmailed or framed. I can't overlook a single thing. We must take everything into consideration so we can help you."

Akemi understood and relaxed a little. "Okay…"

"What happened before you were chased and shot at?"

"I went to the mall and a guy from my university showed up and offered me a ride home. But he said he had to take a detour and drove in the opposite direction of my house and so I got out when he stopped at a light and I ran into an alley. Then the car that chased me appeared."

L took all of this information in. "Who offered you a ride? What's his name?"

"Doran Yasai."

"Is he a friend of yours?"

"No. He's interested in me but that's it. I only accepted the ride because of the storm."

"Did he say where he was going to take you?"

"No. All he said was that it was a short detour and it was somewhere in the area."

"Miss Yoru, according to what you know about this person, could he have somehow been involved with any of this?" L wondered. "Do you think maybe he was delivering you to these people?"

"Doran?" Akemi honestly wasn't sure if he was capable of that. "He's kind of a jerk but I don't know if he would have done something like that. He's been hell bent on getting a date with me for years, I doubt he'd take me to people who want to shoot me…"

"Even if he was forced to?" L asked.

"God, I don't know…" Akemi was emotionally exhausted and wished she had answers for him but she just didn't. "Ever since I've known him, he seemed more like an egotistical creep than an actual criminal. And as awful as he is, I can't see him doing something like that. Plus, those people could have been following us since we left the mall, I mean, I have no idea…"

Some more information had been sent to L's computer and he needed a moment to read through it. Once he was finished, he said, "It seems that more people who had been linked to this embezzlement have been murdered and identified. And we still can't verify Mr. Yoru's whereabouts…"

Akemi knew this couldn't be good. Her father was a prime suspect and she feared for his life. The possibility that he could have been killed too but just hadn't been found yet also occurred to her. It scared the life out of her.

"Matsui, contact every news source available and tell them to release Kurai Yoru's information so we may find more leads to his current location," L ordered. "If he's still out there, we need to bring him in as soon as possible." Matsuda hesitated for a moment but then took his phone out to start calling.

"NO!" Akemi cried and stood up so she could dart over to Matsuda and stop him but Aizawa and Mogi reached for her arms and forced her to sit back down. All eyes were on her as she desperately tried to persuade them not to follow through with L's request. "You can't! Please! Don't tell the public he's a criminal and release his name! If he's not dead already, Kira will kill him if you do that! Please, you can't! You even said he might have been framed for this! I'm more than sure he's innocent! How do you know that Kira himself isn't murdering all these people? You can't tell everyone my dad did this because I know he didn't!" Her tear filled gaze dropped and her voice trembled. "Please…There has to be something I can do…I'm begging you…He's all I have in this world…Please…"

Both rooms fell quiet as everyone listened to Akemi's faint sobs while L thought everything over. He knew there was a chance her father was innocent but he also knew they needed to find him whether he was guilty or not. More lives were in danger and he couldn't let himself rest until he solved this.

"I'll stay here and cooperate with you as long as you promise to protect my father and swear that you won't let Kira know his name," Akemi said through her sobs. "I'll do anything I can to help you find the people who were after me, I don't care what I have to do…Just please don't release his name…"

Matsuda didn't know of what to make of this. "Can we even do that?" he wondered.

"It's up to Ryuzaki," Aizawa told him. "You know he doesn't always do things by the book."

L pondered over her proposal. It didn't take him long to come to his decision. "Alright. If you wish to remain here while we investigate this to ensure your cooperation and safety, then you must realize that this means you cannot leave this building without an officer present. Your cell phone will be deactivated but we will transfer your number to one of our untraceable phones in case your father tries to contact you. And all phone calls you make will be archived. Do you understand this?"

"I understand," Akemi sighed. She supposed this was better than letting them give out her father's information to the media. She handed her phone to Matsuda so they could make the changes.

"We'll attempt to find another way to track down your father and as long as you hold up your end of the deal, we'll hold up ours," L promised. "I hope we're clear on that."

"We are."

"Very well." L turned off his microphone so he could address his assistant, Watari, privately. "Please disable the surveillance equipment from Miss Yoru's room for the time being, Watari. And please give her something to eat and dry clothes to change into."

A few minutes had slowly crept by and Akemi was alone in her bedroom now, sitting on the bed, trying her best to stay strong and compose herself. Even though she had professionals looking out for her, she felt more alone than ever. She lifted her head when she heard a knock at her door and then a man's voice say, "May I come inside, Miss Yoru?"

She wasn't sure who it was but didn't have the strength to argue with anyone. "Yeah…"

The door opened and Watari stepped inside the room, wheeling in a cart with a full meal and dessert for her and then he hung up some brand new clothes for her to wear in her closet. "Please let us know if you need anything else, Miss Yoru," Watari insisted with a kind smile before leaving the room, closing the door behind him. Akemi sat in awed silence. She almost couldn't believe how nice these people were treating her especially after being questioned like that. Part of her expected nothing but cold, cheap meals and being treated like she was a suspect under house arrest. But the food she was given looked like expensive room service and the clothes they provided were of high quality. It was a shame she wasn't really in the mood to eat anything and was too drained to even get up and change. But the gesture comforted her a little. Akemi just curled up on her bed, lying awake for hours until her aching, tear stained eyes finally closed and let her sleep.


	3. Three.

Akemi woke up coughing. She sat up in her bed and remembered where she was. Glancing out the window, she could see the sun hadn't come up yet so she realized she had only been sleeping for a few hours. It felt like her time here would never end.

"It appears that Miss Yoru didn't touch her dinner," Watari informed L after looking in on her a few minutes before.

"I expected as much," L admitted. Watari didn't even have to ask why he had requested a meal for her when he knew she wouldn't have eaten it. But he knew it was L's way of telling Akemi that she would be treated well there and that she didn't have to be afraid of them. It may have also been his way of apologizing for putting her through such an intense interrogation after what she had just experienced. Watari just smiled proudly. When he overheard Akemi coughing, Watari quickly stepped over to her door and knocked. "Miss Yoru, are you alright?" She didn't reply and just continued coughing. Watari grew concerned and went inside her room to have a look at her. Once her cough had calmed down enough, Watari gave her some medicine and some water and she laid down again. "Miss Yoru, you've become severely ill," Watari observed. "You have a fever and your pulse is quickening. You may need a pneumonia injection. But unfortunately, I don't have one available. I will have to get one. It shouldn't take long. If you can, please get changed into some warm clothes."

Akemi just nodded weakly. The medicine seemed to help repress her cough a bit but her high fever still remained. It was so high, she was soon beginning to see and feel strange things and wasn't sure what was even real. She couldn't recall ever being this sick before.

She knew she agreed to stay but she just couldn't bear the thought of being trapped in a hotel with a group of strangers, even if they were police. And now that she was sick, she worried they'd bring in a doctor who might have ties to what was going on with her father and then she'd wind up dead. Akemi's fever was making it difficult for her to think rationally and she started to become paranoid. She didn't feel like she could trust anyone and could only trust her father and she wanted to find him as soon as she could. _"I have to get out of here…."_

Despite feeling dizzy and extremely feverish, Akemi rose out of her bed and quietly stepped to her room's door, then opened it cautiously. She peeked through the door crack and only saw a dark room on the other side. No one else was around, at least no one she could see. She saw this as her only chance. Akemi darted from out of her room and over to the suite's front door without making a sound. Once she was out, she exhaled deeply, nearly in shock of how simple that was. All the other officers had gone home for the night and Watari was preoccupied with retrieving her vaccine so she thought she was in the clear. Akemi sneaked passed the front desk and hurried out of the hotel, not even looking back. She was greeted with more rain and regretted not grabbing an umbrella again. Akemi dashed off into the dark, hoping she'd find her way home without anymore trouble.

The cadence of the rain, the thunder and the roar of the wind in her ears were all she could hear as she ran down the street as fast as she could. Being sick and slowing down to cough every other few moments hindered her greatly but she still persevered. A car whisked by, honking their horn at her and startling her. She stopped running to catch her breath and looked behind her, watching the car disappear into the darkness. Akemi took a closer look in the distance. Out of the shadows, there appeared to be a person following her. The only thing she could see was their silhouette. She froze in fear for a moment then panicked again and continued running.

Thunder crashed and lightning lit up the sky for half a second and Akemi froze in place and screamed as the entire block fell even darker after losing power. Once she realized she wasn't hurt, she tried running again but she was losing steam quickly.

"Miss Yoru!" her pursuer called after her. "Stop!"

Akemi didn't want to listen. Her mind was only set on getting home and hiding away from whoever was chasing her. With each step she took, her legs grew weaker and her breath became more shallow. By this point, she was practically staggering through the rain puddles and mud. But once she reached the end of the street, she lost her strength and collapsed onto the ground.

The person following her was finally able to catch up to her. She couldn't see him very clearly because of the darkness and her blurred vision but for some reason, she didn't feel quite as scared when he knelt beside her and he lifted her up into his arms so he could look at her. Akemi grasped onto the sleeves of his white shirt, hoping she could raise herself up off the ground completely and keep running, but she was too weak. She felt herself losing consciousness while this man checked her pulse and her fever. "You're going to be alright, Miss Yoru," a soft voice spoke to her. Akemi ran out of strength and just gave up fighting and trusted him. Her body shivered in his arms and he noticed she was gasping for air. "Miss Yoru, can you breathe? Can you speak to me?" All Akemi could do was gasp and cough as she continued to slip off into sleep. Everything she could see was blurred and was turning darker. "Watari, I need assistance, bring the car…" were the last words she heard before she fell unconscious.

* * *

Akemi's eyes slowly opened. The room she was in was warm and dark. She could feel that she was lying in a bed and she realized it was her hotel room. She also felt IV needles in her arm and she was being given oxygen through a nasal tube. It was uncomfortable but she didn't mess with any of it. Her cough seemed suppressed for the time being and she didn't feel as feverish as she did the last time she recalled being awake. Akemi was about to try to sit up when she heard someone say, "You shouldn't get up yet, you might strain yourself. Good to see you're awake, Miss Yoru." Akemi had no idea someone else was in the room with her. She could barely see anything in the dark room but managed to spot a person with what looked like a white shirt sitting on a chair near the foot of her bed. "W-Who are you?" she asked, her voice soft and raspy. She took a harder look at him and remembered the shirt she had grasped onto of the person who had followed and helped her. Akemi knew this man was most likely him.

"You can call me Ryuzaki," he replied.

Akemi remembered hearing that name while she was being questioned. "Wait…You're Ryuzaki? The one who interrogated me through that creepy voice?"

"Well, I don't think I would call it that but…yes. That was me."

"How come I wasn't able to talk to you face to face?" Akemi wondered. "Or hear your real voice?" She still couldn't see what he looked like since he was mostly in the shadows.

"It was just a precaution," he assured her. "It's how I interrogate everyone." He, of course, left out the part where he wanted to meet with her normally at first but the rest of the task force advised him to do otherwise. He also wasn't going to tell her that he was L.

"How long have I been asleep?" she asked.

"Nearly twenty four hours."

Hearing that surprised her. She hadn't expected to have been out for that long. Maybe half a day at most. "You're the one who helped me, weren't you?" Akemi knew it had to be him. He had the same voice too.

"Yes."

Akemi smiled faintly. "I thought so."

"Miss Yoru, why did you leave your room?" L asked her. "Do you recall the agreement we had? You promised you wouldn't leave the building without an officer present. You broke that promise only hours after it was made. Why?"

Akemi's small smile was quickly replaced with an expression of regret and worry. "Honestly…I don't know. I can't remember much…All I recall is feeling really sick and scared and then the next thing I knew, I was outside on the ground and you were there…" She worried he was angry with her even though she didn't hear it in the tone of his voice. She heard little emotion behind his words. Honestly, she wasn't sure if that was a good or a bad thing.

"So, you're saying your illness caused you to hallucinate and therefore was the factor in your departing by yourself in the middle of a storm?"

That sounded about right to Akemi. "Yeah. So…is our deal off then? Do you want me to leave?" She dreaded the answer, hoping with everything she had that he didn't want her to. She knew she couldn't go home and face all of this alone. At least not yet.

"If that were the case, you wouldn't be here right now," L replied. "We would've sent you to a hospital and then you would've been free to return home."

_'He could have just said no….'_  Akemi thought to herself. She realized he must not always be as straight forward and blunt as he sometimes seemed. It didn't bother her much. She was simply just trying to figure him out. "Well, anyway…" she nearly whispered through her cracking voice as she tried to guess where his eyes were in the dark so she could at least try to make eye contact with him and show him she was sincere. "Thank you. For going after me. And helping me."

For as long as he had been L, he had never helped anyone by his own hand. He'd only do research, evaluate evidence, give orders and have other people do the rest for him while he sat in safety behind his computer screen. This was the very first time in his life where he had actually followed someone on foot and physically helped them. Yet, he didn't really see it as something to be regarded as extraordinary. He simply followed her because he had no other choice at the time and he wasn't going to pretend otherwise. Maybe he wouldn't admit it but it was hearing someone personally thanking him face to face for his help that stopped him. That was another first for him. He took a long moment to think of what to say. "I promised we'd protect you and that's what I did."

"Still…" Akemi smiled, thinking he was being humble about how he'd helped her. "I owe you. So, you're not mad at me?"

"I have no reason to be angry with you, Miss Yoru. Don't concern yourself with that."

"Did anyone else get mad though?" she wondered. Aizawa immediately popped into her mind. "I mean, that one guy seems kinda on edge all the time so I wouldn't be surprised-"

"Only Watari and I know you left the building," L assured her.

"You didn't tell the rest of them?"

"I saw no reason. We got you back here safely and you're very sick but you should recover swiftly with continued treatment. We'll just keep the rest between us."

Akemi felt relieved hearing that. The last thing she wanted to do was be the cause of anymore drama around this place. Most of these people looked like they were under enough stress already. "Okay. Thanks."

"I'll leave you to rest then," L said and was about to get up to leave when he heard Akemi say, "W-wait…"

"Yes, Miss Yoru?"

"Is it alright if I can see what you look like?" she asked. She hoped her question didn't seem inappropriate and it didn't really matter to her what he looked like but she still hadn't seen him clearly and it only seemed right to her that she'd be able to recognize him should he need her help in return one day. If he only remained in shadows, that wouldn't be possible. And given how secretive he seemed, Akemi wasn't sure if they'd ever even be in the same room again.

L didn't understand why this was important to her but he saw no problem with it despite the fact he knew some of the other task force members more than likely would. "That would be alright, yes."

Akemi slowly sat up a little so she could reach for the lamp that was on the bedside table. But before she could switch it on, L had hopped off of his chair and stepped over to the table to turn the lamp on so she wouldn't have to struggle with it. With a click, a warm light enveloped the room. Akemi relaxed and saw him literally hop back onto his chair. Her vision was still a little blurred but she could tell now that he was sitting crouched on the chair with his legs up against his chest as he held onto his knees. She also noticed he had what appeared to be a lollipop stick in his mouth, faded blue jeans on his legs and no shoes or socks on his feet. This was not what she had expected to see at all. "You look…different than the others…I can't really see your face, could you come a little closer-"

Akemi blinked and then the next thing she knew, there was a face right in front of hers. Her natural reaction was to gasp in surprise and tense up by the sudden invasion of her personal space. He hovered above her motionlessly, letting her get a good look at him. She realized he wasn't going to do anything else so she just softly laughed at how odd this situation felt. Akemi could see now that he had dark, tired eyes partially hiding behind a mop of messy black hair. It looked like this guy hadn't slept in weeks.

L just stared at her as his thumb and index finger fidgeted with the lollipop stick that was still in his mouth. His large dark eyes peered right into hers. Akemi felt like he was analyzing her and trying to read her every thought and expression. It didn't make her uncomfortable but it did leave her a little curious. She couldn't tell what he could be thinking. All she could do was smile.

"No one ever smiles at me whenever they first see me," L muttered through the piece of candy he still hadn't taken out of his mouth. That just made Akemi smile even wider. "I must have amused you."

"Maybe a little," Akemi chuckled. She realized he must have meant that most people found him strange so they didn't know what to make of him. But Akemi didn't want to judge him by his appearance. If anything, she found him kind of interesting.

"Well, take care, Miss Yoru," L said and then started to leave. "I have a lot of work to do. I'll inform Watari that you're awake."

"It was nice meeting you, Ryuzaki," Akemi told him as he stepped to the door, his back slouched and his hands in his pockets. "I mean, for real this time." L stopped walking and then turned back to look at her once more, then finally took the lollipop out of his mouth to say, "Thank you, Miss Yoru. It was nice meeting you too." There was a soft sincerity in his voice which Akemi found endearing. She wasn't sure but she thought she saw a very small smile form at the corner of his mouth just before he turned to walk out of the room. After he left, Akemi smiled to herself as her mind kept thinking about everything that had just happened.


	4. Four.

Akemi awoke again a few hours later. The sun was up now and she could hear voices conversing in the main room. She couldn't make out what they were saying but one sounded like Ryuzaki and one of the others was Watari. For a moment, she thought she had heard her name and hoped that if they were talking about her, it was in regard to something good.

A knock at her door snapped her out of her dazed contemplation and she said as loud as she could through her cracking voice, "Come in."

The door opened and Watari stepped inside, wheeling in a cart with a few dishes of food on it. "Good morning, Miss Yoru. Are you hungry?"

"Mhmm." Akemi slowly sat up so she could eat her breakfast. Once she was ready, Watari rested a folding tray over her lap and then set her food on it for her.

"Is Ryuzaki here?" Akemi wondered. "I thought I heard him talking in the other room." She could never forget that voice for the rest of her life.

Watari smiled kindly. "He is. I'll get him." He stepped into the main room and found L staring out one of the windows, thinking silently to himself. "Ryuzaki, Miss Yoru would like to see you."

L turned around slowly to face him. "Is something wrong?"

"Not at all."

"Then why does she want to see me if nothing's wrong?"

"I think she just wants to say good morning to you."

L looked a little confused but went into Akemi's room to see what she wanted. When she watched him step in, her face lit up a bit and he noticed.  _'Why is she smiling at me like that again…?'_  he couldn't help thinking. "Yes, Miss Yoru?" he asked, standing beside her bed. "What did you need?" L didn't think she'd want to only say hello to him. He assumed there had to have been more than that.

"Good morning, Ryuzaki," she greeted, still smiling.

_'So, Watari was right…'_  L thought to himself. "Oh. Good morning, Miss Yoru. Is that all you needed to say?" he asked before he took a bite into a breakfast pastry Akemi somehow didn't even notice he was holding until that moment. L couldn't possibly imagine anything else she could want from him at this time.

Akemi couldn't really explain why she wanted to see him again. Basically, she just wanted to make sure he was real and wasn't just something she had dreamed up during the night. "Yeah," she sighed. "I think so…"

Maybe Akemi couldn't think of anything else to say but L could. "How are you feeling?"

"A little better," she replied. "You might not want to get too close though, I may be contagious…"

L wasn't even concerned with that and kept eating. "It's okay, I don't get sick."

Akemi was surprised to hear him say that. "Really? Never?"

"I don't recall ever feeling ill before," he admitted. He noticed she was giving him a strange look and he figured it was because he was eating something sweet in front of her. "And Watari inoculated all of us just in case so there's no need for you to worry."

That was a relief for Akemi. She would have felt incredibly guilty if someone else had gotten sick because of her.

"I'll be going to To-Oh University today," L informed her, stuffing the last bit of the pastry into his mouth. "That's the same school you attend, correct?"

Akemi nodded. "Yeah."

"How are you enjoying it?"

"It's my fourth year so I'm ready to leave, honestly…"

"Wouldn't you miss your friends? Surely, you would have some."

Akemi wasn't sure of what to think of that assumption. Was he saying an indirect compliment to her? Did he mean she was a likable person so he figured she'd have a lot of friends? Or was he just making conversation? She had no idea. But she decided to just tell him the truth. "I just spend a lot of time reading. I don't have any friends…"

L was silent for a long moment. Then he said softly, "Just like me."

Both of them exchanged empathetic gazes, as if they were reading the sadness in each other's eyes. They felt more sorry for each other than they did for themselves, unaware the other chose to not have friends for their own reasons.

Akemi broke the long silence. "I feel bad for missing classes like this."

"You don't need to worry about attending classes while you are here, Miss Yoru," L assured her. "It can be arranged so you may study here at your leisure if that is what you wish to do."

"That would be wonderful, thank you," Akemi replied, smiling appreciatively.

"You are also free to accompany me to the university if you wish once you fully recover from your illness," he added as he unexpectedly turned and walked out of the room. "Whatever you choose will be acceptable…"

Akemi figured he had left her alone to eat so she lifted her fork when L came back into the room with a small plate in his hand and then he handed it to her. She didn't expect this at all. He had given her one of his breakfast pastries. Her gaze lifted from the plate back up to his face and he watched her smile at him. "I had an extra one…" he said softly. "I thought maybe you would like it. That is, if you were feeling up to it."

Akemi's smile grew wider. "That's really sweet."

L reached for the plate and said, "Well, if it's too sweet for you, you don't have to eat it, I can just-"

"No, it's okay," Akemi chuckled and he drew back his hand, then put both of them in his pockets. "I meant that it's really nice of you to think of me, Ryuzaki. Thank you."

"You're welcome, Miss Yoru." Akemi just watched as he appeared to be studying her again with those large, dark, tired eyes. "You sure do smile at me a lot," he observed. Of course, hearing that just made her smile once again.

"Is there a reason I shouldn't?" she laughed. "Does it bother you?"

"No," he uttered, bringing his thumb to his lips and then bit on his thumbnail as he was pondering. "I suppose I'm simply not used to it yet." Their gazes met for a long moment but then he snapped out of it. "Well, I guess I'm off to To-Oh…."

Something suddenly came back to Akemi. "Ryuzaki, wait…"

"Yes, Miss Yoru?"

"Were you at the entrance ceremony?" she wondered, recalling what Hema and Doran had said about one of the freshman representatives. She realized the person they had described sounded very much like him.

L didn't even try to lie. "I was. Why? Were you there too?"

"No, I missed it," she replied. "I just heard about it."

"I gave a speech in front of everyone," he told her. "With another student."

"That means you scored highest on the entrance exams," Akemi said, impressed.

"That is correct," L confirmed as he pulled a small lollipop out of his pocket and unwrapped it, then stuck it in his mouth. "Perfect score."

"Wow…" It was difficult enough for Akemi to pass her exams, she couldn't imagine how smart someone had to be in order to accomplish something like that. "I could definitely use your help studying for my exams…" She was mostly joking but honestly wouldn't mind it if he decided to help her. But she knew that probably was out of the question given how busy he must have been with working on cases and now attending classes.

"Well, I've never helped anyone study before but…" L thought about it as he turned his lollipop stick back and forth with his thumb and index finger. "I suppose I could." He knew time was slipping by and he couldn't stand there chatting all day long. "I should get going. Watari and I will be out for the day but a few of the other officers will check in on you from time to time." He reached into his pocket and handed her a cell phone. "Should you need any of us, our numbers are programmed in this phone. Take care, Miss Yoru."

"Thank you, Ryuzaki," Akemi replied and just like that, he was gone. Akemi felt a little lonely now, which rarely happened since she usually liked being alone but for some reason, she actually wanted company at this time. Maybe she missed her father or maybe actually found herself connecting with Ryuzaki somehow. She couldn't explain it but she just wanted to talk to him some more, even if she couldn't think of much to converse about. There was just something about him that made her want to know him. It could have been because he seemed different and secretive and mysterious and she could never guess what he was thinking behind those strong stares whenever his tired eyes studied her. She wanted to be able to read him as easily as he could read her.

* * *

"I'll be going to To-Oh University today," L told the other task force members in the main room, quietly enough so Akemi couldn't hear him. "I'll just tell you all up front that I plan on interacting with Light Yagami and observing him myself, as well as testing his investigative skills."

Soichiro, Light's father, appeared desolate. It never pleased him to hear his son was under suspicion of being Kira. L found no joy in bringing it up around him either but it was one thing he just couldn't lie about.

L continued. "In the mean time, I would like some of you to follow up on Kurai Yoru and try to find his current location. You can do whatever is necessary except publicly inform the media that he's been involved in criminal activity. Oh, and also…" All eyes went to L. "I know you all wouldn't leak any information deliberately but if any of you happen to speak with Light Yagami, please do not tell him about Miss Yoru. And if he happens to come here at some point, we will have to move her to another room. I don't want him to go near her or even see her. He is not to know she's here or her reasons for being here. He doesn't need to know about her father either. I hope that is understood."

"Okay, but what happens if he  _does_  happen to see her?" Matsuda wondered. "What should we say to him?"

"Hopefully, that never occurs so we won't have to worry about it," L told him. "But…should he become wise, I suppose you'll just have to make something up. In summation, as long as I suspect him, he doesn't go near Miss Yoru. I want him to be completely unaware of her name and face, as well as her father's."

Matsuda had more questions. "Ryuzaki, don't they go to the same school? What if he does learn their names or already knows-"

"Mister Matsui, if you keep asking me these questions, we're going to be here all day," L sassed. Matsuda just stayed quiet and listened. "If he does know her already, they wouldn't be friends. Miss Yoru told me she doesn't have any. We just need to keep her out of his sight while she's here so he doesn't pry into the case concerning her father. But if it comes to that point, we will take necessary action. We will just have to do everything we can to prevent anything of the sort from happening. For the time being, we will just focus our concerns on keeping Light Yagami as far away from Miss Yoru as possible while he's still a suspect. And we will not discuss Kira matters in front of Miss Yoru."

"Ryuzaki, if you're so concerned about this girl's safety, then why don't you just send her to a safe house or keep her somewhere else?" Aizawa asked him. "I mean, this doesn't really make sense-"

"Because there are few people I can trust right now and I'm not going to leave her in a location where we can't get to her should she need us," L explained. "I apologize if this is an inconvenience for any of you. But I made a promise to protect her and her father and I am going to do everything I can to keep it while solving these cases. Please understand. I cannot fail them."

The other task force members wondered if his reasoning was deeper than that. But they didn't ask any more questions. Instead, they got to work while L and Watari were on their way out of the hotel for the day.

"Watari, we'll need to get something to eat on the way," L suggested as they walked out of the room. "I'm craving sugar again."

"What happened to that last pastry I left for you, Ryuzaki?" Watari asked, knowing exactly what he did with it. He just wanted to see how L would react. "Didn't you eat it?"

L just stared up at him while he tried to think of a way to explain his actions. His eyes shifted as he wondered what to say. He decided not to lie and just said through a faint smile, "I may have given it to a friend."


	5. Five.

When Akemi awoke again later that afternoon, she yawned and stretched her arms, then waited to hear if anyone was around. From what she could tell, the front room was quiet and it didn't sound like anybody was there. Akemi wanted to do something other than lie in bed and sleep all day but she wasn't quite well enough to leave the hotel and go outside. Plus, she knew she couldn't go anywhere alone anyway so she had no choice but to remain there.

Akemi was feeling a little lonely and wanted to talk to someone at the moment. She remembered L had given her a cell phone and she had left it right beside her on the bed so she picked it up and opened it. Her eyes browsed through the names and numbers stored in the contacts list. She knew she couldn't call any of them unless it was an emergency so she didn't bother. Then, she wondered if she could try to call her father and see if she could find him. Akemi's fingers started to dial his number but she stopped halfway and then closed the phone. As badly as she missed her father, she knew she couldn't do that. If she tried contacting anyone behind Ryuzaki's back, she knew it could possibly backfire on her. She just decided to put the phone in her pocket and do something else.

Slowly, Akemi sat up in her bed and glanced around for the remote for the tv. When her eyes scanned toward the bedside cabinet next to her, she saw there was a pile of books that had been left there for her that she hadn't noticed before. She didn't know when they appeared or who left them but she picked one of them up and looked at it. In her hands was a fantasy book she had been wanting to read and now, she had in her grasp. She was extremely confused but happy someone must have thought of her.

Akemi spent the next few hours reading quietly in her room. Throughout the day, a few of the task force members had dropped by to check on her like L had promised and they made sure she had food and fluids and no sign of a high fever. It wasn't until later that evening when Watari and L finally returned.

Akemi heard three soft knocks at her door and then set the book she was reading down beside her. "Come in," she permitted.

The door opened and L stepped inside, hunched over and hands in his pockets like usual. Akemi smiled upon seeing him. "Oh. Hi, Ryuzaki."

"Good evening, Miss Yoru," he replied and approached her bedside, glancing at her IV bags and oxygen levels. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm feeling fine, thanks," she sighed. "Just tired."

"My apologies for being so late but one of our officers was hospitalized after suffering a heart attack," L told her as he read her stats, his voice remarkably composed while sharing such serious news.

Akemi did not expect to hear that. "What? No one told me anything about that. Who was it? Is he going to be okay?"

"It happened only a few hours ago," L explained. "It was Mister Asahi." He used Soichiro Yagami's alias just to be cautious. "And yes, he will be fine. He just needs rest. I suppose no one told you so you wouldn't be worried and stress yourself before we knew more about his condition. There's no use in your health worsening either."

Akemi didn't know Chief Yagami very well yet but through the few brief times she had spoken with him, she could tell he seemed like an altruistic man that the other officers looked up to. And even though she wasn't close to him, she could already tell his absence would definitely leave an impact on everyone. "Well, I hope he gets better. I think he has a family, doesn't he?"

"Yes, he does."

Akemi didn't know them but her heart ached for what they must have been feeling right now. She knew she'd be devastated if something like that happened to her own father.

Watari came in to give Akemi her scheduled injection and then checked her stats and concluded she was well enough to forgo the IV's and oxygen tubes. It didn't take long for him to remove them. "There…" Watari said, placing gauze and a bandage on her hand where her IV needle had been. "You should be alright now but we'll still keep an eye on you."

Akemi wanted to hang out with L in the main room so after he left, she got up and followed him. She walked slowly and cautiously and once she made it, she glanced around the room. There were multiple tv's and monitors all around the room and L was sitting at a desk the way he usually did, peering at his computer screen.

"May I see the cell phone I gave you, Miss Yoru?" L asked her, turning his chair in her direction when he had sensed her presence in the room. There was no time for any small talk, he just jumped right into the question.

Akemi wasn't sure why he would need it other than to check it to see what calls she might have made on it. She suddenly felt nervous even though she hadn't done anything wrong. "Why?"

He just held out his hand toward her, waiting for her to set it in his palm. "The phone, Miss Yoru, if you please."

She approached him and pulled the phone out of her pocket and gave it to him without any more hesitation. "You don't trust me, do you?"

L stared at her for a moment but then turned his chair forward to face his computer screen. "I didn't say that."

"You didn't have to…"

There were a few things he could confess to her but he wasn't sure if this was the right time for that. He set the cell phone down on his desk and then reached for a half eaten chocolate bar that was beside it. "You shouldn't make assumptions, Miss Yoru. I figured you of all people would know that."

His statement puzzled her. "What do you mean?"

"From what I have come to gather since meeting you, I've concluded that you don't seem to be the type of person who usually makes uneducated guesses or takes everything at face value," he explained, breaking a piece off of his chocolate bar and then stuck it into his mouth. "I haven't known you long but you definitely strike me as a person who tries to find the truth before assuming things about others."

Akemi silently thought about everything he had just said. "Well…I guess you're right. So…" She smiled as she took a seat in another chair and rolled up beside him. "Does this mean you trust me?"

L knew what she wanted to hear yet he didn't want to answer her directly. "It means I'm a detective and I should always question every single detail."

"Okay, but, you _do_ trust me," Akemi stated confidently, but also teasing him and hoping to get a sincere reaction from him. "And I trust you after you practically saved my life, so we're even." She didn't mean to pry but she couldn't help glancing at his computer screen. "So, what are you doing? Have you been able to find out anything about my father and the people who are after me?"

"I'm gathering information on recently reported criminal deaths and I'm going to see if any of them are linked to the cases I am currently working on," L replied, his mouth full of chocolate again.

"How many cases are you working on?" Akemi wondered.

"That's classified," L retorted, hoping she would just drop all the questions about his work.

"You can't just give me a number?" she asked.

"No."

"Why not?"

"It's nothing of importance."

Akemi didn't buy that. "If it wasn't important, then you could just tell me."

L gave up. "Okay, then…"

Akemi braced herself since she had a feeling she was going to be impressed.

L made her wait for a few more seconds and then finally said, "Several."

That left her disappointed and he knew it. "Oh, that's funny," she smirked.

"I thought so."

"Several isn't a number," she informed him as if he wasn't already aware of that.

"It is in this case." He finished the chocolate bar he'd been eating and then picked up another one from a pile he had lying on his desk. He wasted no time tearing it open.

"You know, it seems every time I see you, you're eating sweets," Akemi pointed out as she watched him unwrap the candy bar. "Lollipops, pastries, chocolate…Are you hypoglycemic or something?"

"No, sugar provides energy to the brain and I need it to solve these cases," he replied then bit into the candy.

"I'll try to remember that next time I have an exam," Akemi joked. "Maybe I'll take a big box of Pocky to class…"

"I have work to do, Miss Yoru," L reminded her as his eyes remained glued to his computer screen. "Don't you have some new books you could read?"

"Wait…" She hadn't mentioned anything about the books to anyone and they had been the only ones there other than Watari since they had returned to the hotel. It suddenly hit her. "Were you the one who left those books for me?"

"I sent out for them, yes," L answered, still staring at the screen while he picked up his cup of a beverage that was probably made up of more sugar than coffee and then took a sip from it.

"How did you know those were the kind of books I liked?" she inquired.

"I'm a detective," he replied bluntly as he set his cup back down on his desk. "I know everything."

Akemi laughed softly. "You didn't answer my question."

"Get used to that," he sassed and she just laughed again.

"Okay, but, really…Thank you," Akemi said sincerely. "I appreciate that you thought of me…again." She remembered when he had given her a pastry from that morning and this time it was books. She wondered what might possibly be awaiting for her the next time he was feeling generous.

"I simply recalled you saying you liked to read and how you said school was a dreary concept to you now," L finally told her. "So, I concluded that you probably like fantasy books since they're nothing like the reading materials your professors assign you to overanalyze."

"Well, it was a lucky guess," Akemi grinned.

"It wasn't a guess, it was a perfectly calculated deduction," he corrected.

"Mmhm. Whatever you say, Sherlock," Akemi teased, earning a confused stare from L. It just made her laugh. Even though L was focused on his work, she still attempted to talk to him. "I'm just glad that you appear to be supportive of my love for reading. Unlike Doran…" Just saying his name aloud irritated her.

"I gave you books to help you pass the time," L declared. "But…I suppose you could say that. I see nothing wrong with doing something you enjoy."

Between missing her father, being afraid for her life and thinking about Doran, Akemi wasn't sure if she could keep it all inside much longer. The bitter feelings she had inside were overwhelming her and she couldn't stop herself from venting them. "Yeah, well,  _some_  people believe that I shouldn't read for fun and that I should only read what's required and then devote the rest of my life to a relationship with them, even if it's not what I want…"

L heard the change of emotion in her voice and turned his chair a bit so he could look at her. He noticed her smile was gone now and that she appeared to be genuinely upset about this.

Akemi was sitting in her chair with her arms folded, facing the wall in front of them and she was looking down at her feet while she thought about everything but then her mind focused on Doran and his attitude toward her. "It's like…some people would rather use you instead of treating you like a human being with your own thoughts and feelings…It's like how you feel doesn't even matter to them at all…You're just a conquest…You're not even a person anymore…You just become a thing…And it makes you feel like nothing…"

On the verge of tears, Akemi suddenly felt something lightly nudge her shoulder. She lifted her head and turned to L and saw him holding another book and an unwrapped chocolate bar for her to take. Akemi took the objects from him and then he said, "Somehow, this one didn't make it to your room earlier. Please enjoy it." Akemi looked at the small gifts he'd placed in her hands and smiled again. She wondered if it was actually a mistake or if he had kept that book himself to give to her at the right moment. Either way, she thought it was sweet. She didn't feel like crying anymore. "Thank you, Ryuzaki."

His eyes were again focused on his computer screen. "You're welcome, Miss Yoru." They just sat there eating chocolates together, silently appreciating the other's company.


	6. Six.

A couple of days went by and not much had really happened. Akemi spent most of her time reading and resting. But now that she had almost completely recovered from her illness and felt much better, she wanted to get up and do something else. Akemi stepped out of her room and walked into the front room only to find task force members quietly reading papers and computer screens while L sat at his desk, scanning through a huge stack of folders and binders that had been placed on top of it. Of course, he was eating cookies while he was reading which didn't surprise Akemi in the slightest.

Everyone looked preoccupied. Akemi didn't want to disturb them. None of them had even noticed she had walked into the room. Well, at least if anyone had, they didn't show it. So, she just went on into the suite's kitchen area. Watari was arranging an assortment of desserts for L and he looked up when he heard her walk in. "Good morning, Miss Yoru," he greeted cheerfully, then continued to place different kinds of sweets on the cart.

"Good morning, Watari," Akemi replied with a smile as she approached the refrigerator to get some orange juice. She poured herself a glass and stood by the counter as she started sipping on it.

"You look like you're feeling a lot better," Watari noticed.

"I am, thank you," Akemi said appreciatively. "I mean, really, you and Ryuzaki and everyone looking after me the way you did…" She wasn't even sure of what to say at the moment, her heart started swelling up with gratitude she didn't know how to begin to express without getting too sappy.

Watari just smiled kindly at her like he usually did. "Think nothing of it, Miss Yoru. And please inform me if you need anything." He was about to wheel the desserts into the main room when Akemi spoke up and stopped him.

"Actually…"

She blurted out that word without even thinking. Watari gave her his full attention and listened.

"Um…" She wasn't quite sure how to put this without seeming rude. "Watari, do you think there's maybe something I could do other than sitting in my room and reading all the time? I mean, not that I don't enjoy it, it's like my favorite thing in this world, but it'd just be kinda nice to change things up a little and maybe go outside or experience something new or make something-"

"Well…" Watari had an idea. "How are you at making desserts?"

Akemi honestly wasn't sure about that. Normally, the desserts she ate were store bought or made at restaurants. It had been a long time since she'd tried baking anything herself. "Um…I suppose I could attempt it. What should I make?"

"There are certain foods that Ryuzaki requests but aren't always provided by room service or local establishments," Watari told her. "So, that duty falls on me. But if you'd like to take over for today to pass the time, you're more than welcome to."

Akemi finished her orange juice and then set the empty glass on the counter. "Okay, so, what does he want today?" She hoped it was something easy like pudding or gelatin but she knew odds were that it would be more challenging than those.

"Ryuzaki has been wanting a lot of strawberry shortcake lately," Watari said. "If you would like to try making that, you may. All the ingredients are in the kitchen and there's a recipe book on the counter you can follow if you need it. He will most likely want it this afternoon. Best of luck, Miss Yoru." He pushed the dessert cart out of the kitchen, leaving Akemi alone to make the cake by herself. She was already feeling uneasy as she tied an apron on, pinned her hair up into a bun and then skimmed through the recipe book until she found the one she needed. The instructions didn't seem too complicated at first despite the fact that she had never tried to make a cake like this before.

* * *

"Miss Yoru, is Ryuzaki's cake finished?" Watari asked as he stood in the doorway to the kitchen.

After baking for what felt like days to her, Akemi was putting the finishing touches on it. "Yes, I'll bring it to him in a minute…" Watari left her alone to complete it. Once Akemi was done, she stepped back and took a look at the final product. Honestly…it didn't look good at all. But she hoped it tasted better than it looked. Akemi carried the cake out to L who was sitting on the couch watching the news and she set it down on the coffee table in front of him. His eyes stayed glued to the tv screen until Watari said, "Miss Yoru made your cake today, Ryuzaki." Akemi cut a slice for him and handed it to him on a small plate along with a fork. His gaze moved up to her. "Oh. Thank you, Miss Yoru." Akemi hid her nervousness with a polite smile and nod. L looked down at the plate in his hands and just stared at the piece of cake for an extremely long moment. The two layered cake looked flat as if it had failed to rise properly and the whipped cream appeared to be thin and melting already. "And this is…shortcake?" L asked, double checking since it didn't look like the usual kind he ate.

Akemi nodded again. "Yes. It was my first attempt at it…but I hope you like it." L could tell by the way Akemi's apron, shirt and face were splattered with batter and how the bun in her hair was a sagging, messy knot now, it was apparent she had struggled to get through making it.

L stared at the strange looking dessert as if he'd seen a giant bug crawl across the plate but he knew he had to be polite to Akemi and at least try it. He picked up his fork and then cut it into the edge of the cake, then lifted it up to his mouth, hiding his dread the best he could. The second it met his tongue, he cringed and froze and did all he could to force himself to not make a face of disgust. Slowly, he chewed the flat, underbaked cake, the runny whipped cream and the tart strawberries Akemi didn't add near enough sugar to. "So…is it okay?" Akemi asked then bit her lip nervously.

"Mmhmm…" was all L managed to say before reluctantly swallowing that first bite. "It's great. Best cake I've ever had…"

Akemi couldn't tell if he was lying or not but the fact he even tried it and ate it without spitting it out was good enough for her. Her face lit up. "Thank you, Ryuzaki." She had a lot of cleaning up in the kitchen to do so she excused herself and then began taking care of all the dishes.

After Akemi was done tidying up the kitchen, she stepped through the main room on her way to her bedroom. When L heard her come back in, he quickly picked up the plate of cake he had set down after taking that one bite and then acted like he was going to finish the rest of it. He shoved another small bite into his mouth while Akemi walked by and she saw what he was doing and smiled. Once she disappeared into her room to get changed, L gulped down the cake and then said, "Watari, please take the cake away."

"You didn't like it, Ryuzaki?" Watari asked, knowing exactly what the answer was. "You told Miss Yoru you did."

"I never said I liked it," L corrected. "I just said it was great. And by that, I meant her effort."

"No, I recall you saying it was the best cake you've ever had," Watari reminded him.

"Not the best by taste or skill…" L said. "No single part of that cake was executed correctly. But rather…the best because…"

"Because  _she_  made it?" Watari guessed.

L's eyes shifted a bit. "I suppose you could say that."

Watari smiled. "Well, you did the right thing by being good to her."

"There was no point in being rude, it was only cake," L declared, even though everyone knew how much he loved it and was probably really looking forward to having it only to be given one that wasn't edible. Plus, Watari had seen him firsthand complaining about other desserts that weren't quite to his liking. L scowled and then muttered, "I'm pretty sure I ate part of an eggshell too…"

Watari couldn't help chuckling. "You hid it well."

L chugged down some sugary coffee to get the cake's taste out of his mouth as Watari took what remained of the cake back into the kitchen, then returned to the main room to answer a phone call. When Akemi reemerged from her room, she was changed and she walked into the kitchen for a snack. The cake she made was on the counter since Watari hadn't done anything with it yet. Akemi stared at it and wondered if it really tasted better than it looked. Her curiosity got the better of her and she decided to try it. Akemi cut herself a small piece and then took a small bite.

It was terrible.

Somehow, Akemi managed to swallow it and then she drank at least three glasses of water and then ate a few cookies to get rid of the taste. "Blegh…." she groaned. "How did Ryuzaki eat this-" She suddenly realized what he must have done. He lied and held back his true reactions to it. She knew he probably did that to spare her feelings. Akemi softly laughed everything off. What happened amused her but she also felt bad for promising Ryuzaki a cake she couldn't pull off making. And then he endured not one, but two bites of that inedible disaster just so he could make her feel more confident in her abilities. It was getting more and more apparent to her that Ryuzaki cared very much about her feelings. Knowing that made her smile again.

Akemi stepped into the main room and could see Ryuzaki sitting at his desk, reading through more files. She wanted to talk to him but she knew now probably wasn't the time. So, instead, she spoke to Watari once he was available and asked if she could make a phone call. After she had permission, she ordered something for L that would be delivered to the hotel soon. The front desk called their suite once it arrived and Akemi retrieved it and approached L who was still working at his desk, holding the gift for him behind her back. "Ryuzaki….?" she asked softly.

"Yes, Miss Yoru?" L said, keeping his focus on his work.

"I had these ordered for you," Akemi said and then L turned his chair around to see what she was wanting to give him. Akemi handed L a white box that appeared to have come from a bakery. When he opened it, he saw it contained a dozen strawberry shortcake cupcakes. "I had to call all over the area. Honestly, I probably should have done that in the first place. I hope they make up for the cake I destroyed."

L let himself smile at her. Seeing him smiling, even slightly, tugged at Akemi's heart strings. "You didn't have to do this," he told her as dimples appeared at the corner of his half smile, warming Akemi's heart even more. This was the brightest she had seen his face light up.

Akemi returned his smile. "I wanted to. I mean…You've done so much for me, the least I could do was this."

"Well…" L said softly, "thank you, Miss Yoru." He let her stay in the main room with him and shared some of the cupcakes with her. After they had eaten nearly half of them, Akemi was longing for some fresh air. It had been days since she'd had a chance to be outside. "Hey, Ryuzaki, I know it's nearly dusk, but I'd really like to go for a walk. And since I can't go anywhere alone, would you like to come with me?"

L wasn't really in the mood to go outside at the moment but he didn't have anything else to do except work. He figured he could spare a few minutes and accompany her, even if he didn't exactly feel like it. "I suppose I could."

* * *

"So…why this?" Akemi wondered as she walked down the sidewalk with L at her side, his shoulders hunched over and his hands in his pockets like usual.

L wasn't sure what she was asking. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, I've been around you for a couple days now and I've seen how smart you are," she told him. "Plus, you scored perfect on the entrance exams which rarely happens. Why are you a detective when you could be, I don't know, an astrophysicist or a doctor or something?"

"Because being a detective challenges me," he answered bluntly. "And I enjoy solving cases."

"Have you been able to find any more information on the case regarding my father?" Akemi wondered. She hoped she wasn't sounding intrusive, she was only curious.

"I have narrowed down a list of criminals he most likely was in contact with but I haven't been able to trace his whereabouts yet," he confessed. "But if anyone can find him, I can."

Akemi smiled slightly. "Well, I have faith in you."

L took a lollipop out of his pocket, unwrapped it and then stuck it in his mouth. "That's good to know." It was starting to get dark and L wondered if it would be best if they went back to the hotel. Just before he could suggest it, he looked to the street and saw car headlights slowly approaching them. There hadn't been any cars passing by them until that moment so L grew suspicious. Akemi was forced to stop walking when L stepped in front of her so the person in the car couldn't see her clearly as they drove by in case they were looking for her. His eyes stared strongly at the car, closely watching its every move until they pulled up onto the other side of the street. "Um….Ryuzaki?" Akemi asked from behind him. "What are you doing?" She looked over his shoulder and could see the person that was getting out of the car. "Were you just hiding me from a pizza delivery man?"

"Uh…" L's eyes widened a bit as he realized he had done that for nothing. He turned around and faced her and tried to come up with something to say. He took his lollipop out of his mouth to speak. "Yes. I was. I mean, do you know how many criminals guise themselves as delivery men in order to infiltrate a location? I must have sent at least…fifty people to prison who did that very thing. It's a dangerous world, Miss Yoru, you cannot trust anyone."

Akemi could see he felt a bit awkward by what he had done and it took all of her will not to laugh at how strange, yet cute his actions were. She wasn't even mad that he appeared to be lying to her. L was usually an expert liar but for some reason, it seemed like he was making it too obvious that he was lying. So, she decided not to make a big deal out of it because it almost felt like he was saying this to amuse her. A small laugh finally escaped her. "Well, thank you for protecting me from the scary pizza man. Really."

Their gazes met for a long moment until L's eyes shyly darted around as he smiled softly. "I think we should get back, Miss Yoru," he suggested and she didn't argue.

They walked silently together for a while until Akemi asked, "Did you really like my cake, Ryuzaki? Honestly?"

"Well…" L half smiled again, keeping his eyes forward. "I liked that you made it for me."

Akemi knew what he meant. He didn't like how it tasted but he still appreciated her attempt. Akemi was glad it was getting dark since she swore she could feel her face turning red. She hoped he didn't notice. But, L noticed almost everything. They both just kept their thoughts to themselves on the rest of their walk back to the hotel.


	7. Seven.

Another day passed and Akemi found herself watching a lot of tv in her room, avoiding the kitchen at all costs unless it was necessary. Later in the afternoon, she stepped out of her room to stretch her legs a bit when she saw L sitting in his crouching position, hunched over on the couch in front of all of his monitors. She stopped and took a longer look at him. His head was down and his eyes were closed and he wasn't moving. Akemi cautiously approached him then knelt in front of him so she could see if he was alright. She sighed heavily with relief when she saw he was breathing. "Thank god…" she uttered between breaths. "You scared me for a second…"

Watari stepped in and noticed how concerned she appeared to be for L. "You needn't worry, Miss Yoru," he assured her. "He's only sleeping."

Akemi hadn't known he was there and she glanced back at him before rising up. "Oh…Yeah, I figured that…" She took a few steps back so she was standing next to Watari and just continued watching L. "It's kind of remarkable. He doesn't snore or anything," Akemi said, cracking a smile after she heard Watari chuckle softly. "I've never seen him sleep before," Akemi added, her eyes still on L. "Did he just fall asleep like this in the middle of his work? Is he comfortable like this?"

"Yes, usually he will be too overwhelmed with fatigue while he's working and will fall asleep sitting up like this," Watari replied. "It's normal. And I've tried to get him to sleep properly countless times over the years but the boy prefers sitting up in chairs and couches."

Akemi didn't judge him even though she knew if she tried sleeping like that, it would ruin her back. She just smiled since it seemed like something he would do. He may have been a little peculiar but that was part of what she liked about him. He never failed to surprise her. "Is he just napping?" she wondered.

"He's been awake for about five days straight now so he'll probably be sleeping for the next twenty hours," Watari told her, watching disappointment and confusion appear in her eyes.

"Twenty hours? But that's almost an entire day…" Akemi understood he needed his rest but she wasn't sure if she wanted to go that long without talking to him. It seemed selfish but she couldn't help thinking it.

Watari could see Akemi was feeling a bit restless and said, "He'll be awake before you know it." He disappeared into the kitchen while Akemi lingered in the main room. Her eyes went to L again as she silently wished he'd wake up. But of course she didn't disturb him. Akemi smiled as she watched him sleeping on the couch, wondering how comfortable he really was. Without another thought, she grabbed an extra bed sheet and a pillow from her room and returned to him. Akemi set the pillow on the arm of the couch and then reached for his shoulder but quickly retracted her hand, fearing she'd wake him if she touched him. She had no idea how he could react if he'd awaken and find her this close to him. If she ended up scaring him, he could probably hurt her or himself on accident. But then, Akemi dismissed those thoughts from her mind. She figured the odds of him doing that were really low and she probably had nothing to worry about. Her eyes studied him closely and she could see he was in a deep sleep. She hoped he wouldn't wake up as she slowly lifted her hand to him, then gently nudged his shoulder, carefully pushing him over until his head was resting on the pillow. His stiff body hadn't moved much otherwise and he was curled up in the same way, despite lying down now. Akemi put the sheet over him and closed the curtains completely so not even the tiniest ray of sunlight would shine on his eyes. Akemi took one last look at him before returning to her room. She hoped he was at least a little more comfortable than he appeared to be before she moved him.

* * *

The next afternoon, L's heavy eyes slowly flickered open. He was groggy so it took him a moment to realize he was lying down instead of sitting up, how he usually slept. L sat up and looked back at the pillow that had been placed on the couch for him, then noticed the sheet that had been spread over him. He didn't remember how any of this happened but he thought he had perhaps leaned over on his own while he had been sleeping and someone brought him these things to make him more comfortable. It was a bit out of the ordinary but he didn't linger his thoughts on it for too long. He figured it had to have been Watari's doing since he had urged him to sleep normally in the past. L flung the sheet off of his legs and then stood up from the couch and stretched his arms up above him. He realized he wasn't in as much pain as he normally was whenever he woke up thanks to the pillow and actually lying down rather than sitting up.

A few minutes passed and Akemi stepped out of her room and noticed L was up now, sitting on the couch, eating a sundae covered with more toppings and mix-ins than a child would put on it. Her face lit up instantly upon seeing that he was finally awake. "Oh, hey, good morning, Ryuzaki!" Akemi greeted cheerfully then remembered it hadn't been morning for a few hours. "Or should I say good afternoon instead?"

"Good afternoon, Miss Yoru," L mumbled with his mouth full of ice cream and cookie bits.

Akemi took a seat beside him on the couch and started talking to him while his eyes stayed mostly on his sundae and the monitors in front of him. "Hey, I was just wondering something…" She felt nervous now. It had been a long time since she had asked anyone anything like this.

"What is it?" L asked as he stirred his spoon around in the bowl to blend everything together.

"Well…" Akemi began, her eyes darting around anxiously, "I was thinking that maybe we could go somewhere today?" She looked at him and waited a moment for him to respond.

After a long pause, L shoved another spoonful of ice cream into his mouth, then asked, "Why?"

Akemi didn't expect him to react that way. She thought he'd either say yes or no. "Well…You know…Just to get out of this place for a while. Maybe we could go to a part of the city we haven't been before or we could just go on another walk or a drive, anything-"

"That would be counterproductive and inefficient," L told her bluntly as he continued eating.

Again, Akemi didn't expect to hear that. "Inefficient?"

"Yes. A pointless outing like that would not be of any constructive merit. It would only waste time."

"Was going on that walk with me inefficient?" she wondered, hoping with all of her heart he would say no. "Has every minute you've spent with me so far been just a pointless waste of time too?"

"Can't I at least finish my breakfast before you start asking me all these questions?" L asked her, his voice surprisingly calm. "I just woke up…"

"Your breakfast?" Akemi remarked, taking another look at what he was eating. "That is not breakfast food."

"It is for me…"

"You have half a gallon of chocolate syrup, the equivalent of ten cookies, maybe three candy bars, five scoops of whipped cream and gummy bears in there!" Akemi pointed at one of them that she saw sitting in his bowl. "At least eat some fruit or something…" She wasn't annoyed by this but she was concerned since all he ever ate was junk food so she worried for him sometimes.

"There's a cherry in here somewhere…" L muttered, fishing around his ice cream with his spoon. "Aha! Found it." He picked it up by the stem using his thumb and forefinger and showed it to her before lowering it into his mouth. Akemi almost laughed but was too disappointed to allow herself to show any amusement. She decided to try once more to change his mind. "Ryuzaki, please…" Akemi didn't want to sound desperate but she really needed to get out of that hotel for a while. "Will you go somewhere with me?"

"I have work to do," L reminded her and set his now empty bowl on the table in front of him. "I can't leave unless it's important."

"But...the other day, you..." Akemi was about to bring up the spontaneous walk again and how he didn't hesitate to do that with her. But she trailed off and didn't have the strength to continue her sentence after hearing him say that spending time with her wouldn't be important to him. It disappointed her eminently.

L was starting to become immersed in his work. He didn't seem phased by Akemi's reactions or feelings. "If you wish to go somewhere, I'm sure Mr. Matsui isn't doing anything. Go ask him instead." He started reading through some papers and Akemi took that as her cue to leave him alone. She decided to just give up. "Nevermind," she sighed despondently as she rose from the couch. "I'm sorry I bothered you…" L heard the disappointment in her voice and watched her walk back to her room with silent intrigue.

Akemi sat down on her bed and hugged her pillow as she tried not to get too emotional about this. She felt more upset about this than she had expected to. She also felt selfish and was angry at herself for it. Why was her heart set on spending so much time with him? She wasn't entirely sure why. Perhaps it was because she had spoken to him the most and felt more comfortable around him than everyone else, despite his apparent disinterest in being around other people? Or maybe he was closest to her age so she felt like she could relate to him a bit more than the rest of the task force? Akemi wasn't certain. The only thing she was sure of was that she felt lonely and only wanted to be with him.

* * *

"She seems upset," L said to Watari who had just come into the main room after overhearing most of the conversation from the kitchen. L was still confused as to why Akemi reacted in that manner. "All I said was that I had to work."

Watari knew exactly why and smiled at him. "I think Miss Yoru wanted to spend some time with you, Ryuzaki."

L wasn't used to knowing someone actually wanted to be with him without any obligation or requirements or even a legitimate reason. This was completely new to him. "Why would she want to spend time with me if she didn't have to?"

"It appears she likes your company," Watari said, a bit amused how one of the smartest humans in the world couldn't piece something so simple together.

L brought a hand up to his face and then bit his thumbnail as he contemplated. "I don't understand why…" He didn't think he had much to offer anyone in the way of social conversation or company. Most people thought he was strange and didn't want to be around him if they didn't have to be. He usually felt the same and didn't mind being alone.

"There may not be any other reason," Watari answered. "It seems she's taken a liking toward you. She waited a long time for you to wake up just to speak with you. The young lady clearly cares for you."

This appeared to surprise L. "She does?"

Watari gave him a nod. "Who do you think gave you that sheet and that pillow?"

"That wasn't you?"

"No. It wasn't."

L was new to the idea that anyone could sincerely care about him. It was never a thought that had crossed his mind. All his life, he'd had trouble trusting people. Yet, from the moment he set eyes upon Akemi, he never hesitated to believe her and trust her. She just came across as the kind of person who never lied, at least, not deliberately. He then thought about the last time he had been with Akemi. She had bought cupcakes for him, they went for a walk and talked a bit. L realized that maybe Akemi had genuinely enjoyed all of that and really, truly had a fun time with him. And now, she wanted to reprise that and be with him again. It occurred to him that maybe her yearning to be with him was more than just a means of killing time. Maybe she really did want to be his friend.

Watari interrupted his silent pondering and asked, "Do you like being with her too, Ryuzaki?"

L didn't answer. He just wasn't sure about all of this. Hanging around with other people socially just wasn't something he did. Yet, thinking about it, being with Akemi wasn't something he ever felt obligated to do, even when it was required. He never found himself minding her company or feeling uncomfortable around her. And he knew he cared about her, at least enough to help keep her safe, give her presents and spare her feelings. And now he knew she cared about him too. That thought startled him. He knew if she grew too attached to him, it could complicate things. Quickly, he realized he should probably avoid more casual interaction with her. "We're still working on these cases, I simply don't have the time…"

"If you want to take a few hours off and spend them with her, you're welcome to," Watari assured him. "After working nearly five days straight, I think you deserve a little time off."

L was about to bring up the fact that he had just woke up and had wasted almost an entire day sleeping but he realized it probably wouldn't have made much of a difference. He also knew that no matter where he went or what he did, his mind would be on his investigations. So, if he was to go somewhere with Akemi, it would have to be a place where he could take advantage of certain leads. He usually had other people follow up on them in person but if he had to be out, he couldn't waste any time slacking off from such important cases. This would only be for work. At least that's what he promised himself. "I suppose I could take her somewhere."

"Should I or a few of the other officers accompany you?" Watari inquired.

"There should be no need for that," L replied. "I'll be with her."

"Are you sure?"

L didn't even need to think on it. He nodded undoubtedly. "I trust her." He was sure he could keep her safe and was more than confident Akemi wouldn't do anything rash. He also trusted her to travel with him since he rarely went anywhere without Watari and he was sure she wouldn't betray him and desert him. But before he could leave with her, he knew he had one thing he had to do. He stared at her room's door from where he was sitting, silently wondering how well that inevitable moment was going to go.

* * *

Akemi was sitting on her bed watching tv, mostly with disinterest since all she could think about was how she regretted everything that had happened earlier and how alone she was feeling. During the mildly entertaining program she was viewing, she noticed the smell of cake was in the air but that was absolutely nothing out of the ordinary. That place always smelled like pastries or cookies or candy. It constantly made her hungry for desserts but she knew she couldn't eat them as often as L could and get away with it. But those sweet aromas relentlessly teasing her senses never helped. Now she was craving cake before dinner.

A little while later, Akemi heard a knock at her door. She didn't exactly feel like getting up and conversing with anyone at the moment but she lifted herself off the bed and approached the door anyway. She opened the door expecting to see Watari or Matsuda. But instead, standing in front of her was L, his shoulders hunched over and his eyes darting from the floor, then her face, then down again. Then Akemi realized he was holding something. In his hands was a plate and on it was a small chocolate cake with the word  _'Sorry'_  in nearly illegible cursive on top in white icing. This was probably the last thing Akemi had expected to see on the other side of her door. She fought back a smile but ended up surrendering and let her face light up. "Did you make this?" she asked him.

L nodded once. His eyes shifted around again before settling on hers.

Akemi softly laughed. She wasn't sure how much effort he had personally put into making the cake and she knew Watari more than likely helped him or even did most of it himself but she knew he at least had to have been the one to pipe  _'sorry'_  on top of it. That was the cutest thing about it to her. He went through all of this when all he had to do was just say the word but of course, he couldn't just do that. She held her hands out to accept the gift from him. "Thank you," she said as he placed it in her grasp. "I love it. And…I'm sorry, too. I was being selfish and I apologize for that. We don't have to go anywhere if you don't want to."

"On the contrary, I think we should," he declared, shoving his hands in his pockets. "We can leave as soon as you like."

Akemi wasn't sure what exactly changed his mind but she didn't argue. "Oh…Okay, I'll meet you in the front room in a minute then," she replied and he stepped away from her door so she could close it and get ready. Akemi had no idea where they would end up but she couldn't wait to leave with him and get there.


	8. Eight.

After trying on every single dress in her closet, Akemi finally settled on a purple summer dress, despite it being a few months early for that particular selection. It was the most comfortable without compromising sophistication. She put on some evening makeup and just wore her hair down with a jeweled head band then stood in front of her mirror fiddling with it anxiously for several minutes until she was satisfied with her appearance. Akemi finished off her ensemble with a pair of silver high heels, grabbed her purse and then stared into her mirror again. She noticed her cheeks were flushed red and she hadn't even applied blush to them. It was obvious she was feeling antsy but she wasn't sure why.

_'This is silly…'_  Akemi thought to herself and tried to laugh off her anxiety.  _'Akemi, you're losing it. You're practically acting like a kid in middle school again. I mean, it's not like this is a date or anything…'_

_'…Is it?'_

Akemi had never discussed any romantic intentions with L, so the answer was most likely no. Maybe she was feeling nervous over nothing. Perhaps, she thought, if he didn't think of this as a date, she might feel more at ease. She figured her nervousness probably all came down to the fact that she was going into another part of the city for the first time since she started staying at the hotel. If she convinced herself of that effectively enough, then she could possibly get through the evening without feeling awkward. It was just a night out with a friend. Nothing more.

The sound of three knocks at her door interrupted her thoughts. She composed herself, took one last look in the mirror, needlessly adjusted her hair and then opened the door expecting to see L. But, it wasn't him. "Good evening, Miss Yoru," Watari greeted. "It's near time for you and Ryuzaki to depart if you do not want to miss your ride."

"Oh alright, thanks, Watari," Akemi replied and then grabbed her purse before stepping out of her room. She walked into the main room and glanced around for L but she didn't see him anywhere.

"Ryuzaki," Akemi heard Watari's voice say from the kitchen, "Miss Yoru appears to be ready for your date. She's waiting for you." Akemi grew nervous again after hearing that. She braced herself for L's response to that statement, not even sure what she was hoping to hear him say. She just listened anxiously for his reply.

"It's not a date, Watari," she heard L tell him. Honestly, Akemi didn't know how to feel. And she didn't know why she was so clueless about it. She didn't feel let down but she didn't feel happy either. It was beyond confusing. She watched as L entered the room, his eyes right on her as he walked in as if he knew exactly where she would be standing. Akemi thought he would maybe compliment her appearance but all he did was look at her for a moment. There was no readable emotion in his gaze so she couldn't tell if she looked appealing to him or not. But then she wondered why she even cared since they weren't even dating. "Are you ready, Miss Yoru?" he asked.

Akemi nodded. "Yes. Let's go…"

"We'll be back in a few hours, Watari," L said as Watari opened the door for them. Suddenly, they were greeted by three familiar faces.

"Where are those two headed?" Ukita asked as he, Aizawa and Matsuda stepped inside the suite just as L and Akemi were heading out.

"Well, by the way Miss Yoru is dressed all nice like that, I think it might be a date," Matsuda speculated, smirking a little.

"It's not a date…" L muttered as he walked into the hallway with Akemi at his side.

_'He said it again…'_  Akemi thought to herself.  _'I suppose that confirms it then.'_

"Could you at least tell us where you're going?" Aizawa asked, his voice in a slightly frustrated tone. He didn't want to have to spend the next few hours worrying about them.

"Just downtown!" Akemi replied, leaving them with no useful information.

"Okay, well, have a great time on your not-date downtown!" Matsuda called to them and smiled and waved while he watched them step into the elevator. "Even though I'm pretty sure we all know it's a date!"

"IT'S NOT A DATE!" L and Akemi both said in unison just before the doors closed. Akemi hit the button for the first floor and then the elevator started moving. They stood in awkward silence, side by side, avoiding eye contact until L asked, "So…where are we going exactly?"

Akemi honestly had no ideas. "I….I don't know. Where do you want to go?"

L's expression turned annoyed. "You're the one who wanted to do this in the first place. Are you telling me you haven't decided on a destination yet?"

"I just thought maybe we'd just take a bus to Shibuya and figure it out from there," Akemi suggested.

There were a few locations L could think of to visit for investigative purposes but now, he wasn't sure if he wanted to actually take Akemi to them just in case of any potential danger that could be awaiting her. It would be senseless to let her anywhere the people who were after her might be possibly lurking. Shibuya seemed safe enough since the areas that were most likely the greatest threat to them weren't very close to that specific ward of the city. And it was usually a very busy area so it was their best bet. They walked a few blocks to a bus stop, mostly in silence as both of them had a lot on their minds. L was thinking about the investigations while Akemi was just wondering how the evening was going to turn out.

They didn't have to wait too long for a bus to arrive. Once it stopped, they followed a few people up into it and then glanced around for an empty seat. L found one toward the back and offered the spot next to the window to Akemi but she decided to let him have it since she knew he probably didn't get out much and would most likely appreciate the view more than she would. He didn't argue and sat by the window, of course, with his feet up on the seat. Akemi tried to hold back the urge to laugh as she sat down beside him. He noticed she was smiling at him and he just asked, "What?"

"Nothing…" she chuckled and then looked away from him so she try to relax her face and stop smiling. She didn't mean to be amused by his sitting position, she'd seen it dozens of times and was used to it, but this was one time she expected him to not put his feet up on something, especially on a public transport. But at the same time, it didn't really surprise her either.

L didn't ask any more questions and just looked out the window as the bus started driving down the street. The sun was setting outside so the city was beginning to light up. Akemi wanted to enjoy the view as well so she moved a little closer to L so there was virtually no space in between them. L was not used to sitting this close to people so he tensed up and froze for a minute. Once he reminded himself that Akemi was no threat to him, he eased up a little. They both sat silently as they watched the city go by while the evening sky darkened. It was quiet and neither of them said much but they didn't really need to.

* * *

"I don't see the appeal of these movies, they're incredibly unrealistic," L muttered in annoyance as he finished off his last piece of candy. They were practically the only ones in that particular theater except for a few other people scattered around the room. L continued to criticize the film they were watching. "And all of these people are incredibly stupid. Just look at that person just sitting there like that, why don't they just run? It makes no sense…"

Akemi laughed. "It's a horror movie about a ghost that kills people, it's not supposed to be realistic. You know, you sound grouchy, are you out of sugar or something?"

"…Yes," he pouted and crossed his arms unhappily over his knees.

"That's not good…" Akemi glanced at the growing pile of empty boxes and wrappers on the floor next to him. "You ate all of that in less than half an hour? Wow…And here I am still working on my first bucket of popcorn…Should I just go to the lobby and buy out their entire inventory of candy for you?"

"Not a bad idea, here, let me write a check for you…" He started reaching for his back pocket and Akemi laughed again.

"I was just kidding," she informed him through her chuckles.

"So was I," he remarked, his eyes still on the screen as he continued to watch the movie, completely unimpressed.

A few minutes passed and the movie was starting to get more intense. Movies usually didn't bother Akemi but this was starting to get to her and she was hoping to use this as an excuse to get a little extra attention from L. "Ryuzaki…" she whispered, leaning toward him. "I'm getting scared…"

L remained unconcerned and unfazed. "I thought you understood that this movie was nonsensical rubbish."

"It is but I'm still scared…" Akemi wasn't sure how to give him any more hints without spelling it all out for him. "I'm also cold…Oh wait, you're not wearing a jacket, nevermind…" She wasn't even lying about that, she was freezing in that room. She regretted not bringing her own jacket and deciding to wear a dress with short sleeves.

Of course, L had no idea what she was talking about. "Okay, I don't know what I'm supposed to do about that…" It's not like he had a coat or an extra shirt to lend her and he definitely wasn't going to embrace or hold her. Akemi had noticed he didn't seem very open or affectionate with others. If she was going to get anywhere with him, she knew she had to start small. While L was watching the movie, Akemi eyed his left hand that was resting on his knee, wondering if he'd be okay with it if she held it. She hesitated to make any sort of move and just stared at his hand in nervous silence. Akemi wasn't even sure why she wanted to hold his hand, especially knowing he didn't see this as a date and the last thing she wanted was to make him uncomfortable or creep him out. But she couldn't stop those thoughts from invading her mind. Sure, maybe Ryuzaki was odd, a bit rude at times, withdrawn and incredibly difficult for her to read, but she found herself always wanting to be around him. Akemi barely knew him yet he was always the first thing she wanted to see every morning and he was always on her mind every night when she was falling asleep. There was something about him that she really liked. It was those kind gestures. The subtle signs he cared about her. The way he could read her so well. That voice. Those eyes. That rare smile…Nothing made her happier than seeing him smile at her. Akemi felt butterflies in her stomach just thinking about it. She then quickly realized why she was wanting attention like this from him…

She was crushing on him.

Akemi's heart started pounding so hard, she wondered if he could hear it. She couldn't believe it took her this long to actually realize it. L sensed he was being stared at and his eyes shifted to Akemi. "Why are you looking at me like that?" he asked her.

Finally, Akemi snapped out of it. "Oh…s-sorry…" she apologized, feeling embarrassed now. "I guess I was just spacing out…"

L's attention went back to the movie he was barely interested in. While Akemi was trying to get her mind on the movie as well, both of them heard a group of people conversing softly a few rows behind them. Akemi swore she heard those people's voices before. She leaned in toward L and whispered, "Do those voices sound…familiar to you?"

L didn't answer yet and just turned around to see who they were. But they had ducked behind the seats so he didn't see anyone. He faced forward again and just said, "I wouldn't be surprised if they did." Akemi wanted to see for herself and took a look but she didn't see anything either. Now all she could think about was who those voices belonged to. It was hard for her to get lost in the movie after that.

* * *

"So, I guess there's no point in going to dinner now since you ate about fifty times your weight in candy bars…" Akemi said, smirking at him as they walked down the sidewalk outside of the theater. "I'm surprised you're not in a hospital after consuming all of that…"

"And you ate an entire large bucket of popcorn all by yourself…" L reminded her in what sounded like an irritated tone.

"Okay, I may have been the one who ate a bunch of popcorn, but it sounds like you're the one who's full of salt…" Akemi teased.

That just confused L. "Salt? What? Miss Yoru, what are you-"

"It was just a joke," she told him. "Calm down."

"I'm always calm…" he muttered then turned his attention to their surroundings. "First you laugh at me on the bus, now you ridicule me for eating too much. What are you gonna make fun of me for next…"

Akemi hoped she hadn't made him feel bad. She suddenly felt guilty for teasing him. Even though he acted like he didn't care what people thought of him, she wondered if perhaps he felt just as self-conscious as she did at the moment. "I'm sorry, Ryuzaki," she apologized. "I shouldn't have said that. I only teased you because I thought it was okay for us to poke a little fun at each other because you know I don't actually judge you."

"I thought you would be the last person who would joke about how weird everyone thinks I am," L said, his voice emotionless that time.

"I don't think you're weird," she said sincerely. "I think those things you do are…" She wasn't sure if she could admit this and glanced away shyly as she felt her face turning a bit red. Akemi fought off a smile as hard as she could but failed. Finally, she built up enough courage to spit it out. "…cute."

No one had ever called L cute before, at least not to his face. He wasn't sure what to make of it. "So, you think I'm…endearing?" he inquired curiously.

Akemi softly laughed. "Yeah…" She couldn't believe she was admitting this. "I do."

L had no idea how to respond to that so he just changed the subject. "Where do you want to go now?"

They happened to be in front of a book store just then. It didn't take long for Akemi to notice. All she did was smile optimistically at L until he gave in and said, "Alright, let's go…"

L just let Akemi loose in the store but followed her closely as she looked around in every single aisle at all the books and novelties. "Are you looking for anything in particular or are you just browsing?" L asked her.

Akemi laughed as she was walking down the last aisle. "You sound like you work here."

"I might as well be since we've been here long enough," he remarked.

Akemi continued her search, picking up one book after another. "There's actually a follow up to a book I recently read that was just released and I'm trying to-"

L held up a book he just found. "You mean this?"

Akemi looked at it and L watched her face light up. "Yes, that's it! How did you know?"

"You're underestimating me again, Miss Yoru," he said and started walking toward the front of the store so he could pay for it. Akemi offered to buy it herself but he insisted. She didn't argue with him but promised him she'd get him something in return before they headed back to the hotel.

* * *

"So, is it alright if I ask you some questions about yourself?" Akemi wondered as they strolled down the sidewalk together again.

"Why would you need to know anything about me?" L asked, as secretive as always.

"Just making conversation," Akemi promised him. "I just don't know much about you except that you're a detective and you have the most immense sweet tooth out of anyone I have ever met…" She kindly smiled up at him since she expected him to give her some sort of look and when he did, she hoped she conveyed that she wasn't teasing him this time, she was just being honest. Akemi continued talking after he turned his gaze forward again. "Where did you grow up?" she wondered. "What's your family like?"

"I don't have one," he replied honestly. "I grew up in an orphanage. I never knew my parents."

Akemi didn't expect to hear that. She felt incredibly guilty for asking him that question. "Oh…" she uttered sadly. "I'm sorry, I didn't know…"

"Of course you didn't," he said in a factual way. He didn't sound upset at all. "You have nothing to apologize for. You asked a question and I answered. No harm done, Miss Yoru."

"Well, it's just that sometimes it can be a difficult subject for people to talk about," Akemi said. "And I feel kinda bad for prying…"

"A family is simply something I've never had," L declared. He didn't seem bothered by it in the slightest. "That's all."

"Don't you ever wonder where you came from though?" Akemi asked him.

"I don't put too much thought into it," he answered. "My life is the way it is. I can't change it."

"Well…whatever your parents' reasons for not raising you, I'm sure they'd be proud of you if they knew you were helping people," Akemi added.

"I'm not sure how much I help people though…" L muttered softly but loud enough she heard him.

Confused but not curious enough to ask him to elaborate, Akemi said, "Well, you have done a lot for me." Akemi gave him an assuring smile and L met her gaze, almost returning one back to her. "So, is this really not a date?" Akemi wondered nervously. She was beginning to feel more comfortable thinking of this evening as a date now that she knew for sure that she liked him.

"I thought we agreed it wasn't," L replied. "You even said so yourself."

"I know, but, we never actually talked about it and…it's kinda starting to feel like one…" Akemi just needed to know if he felt the same as she did about this.

"I am only here because you wanted to get out of the hotel," he reminded her. "You are free to call this outing whatever you think is appropriate."

Akemi smiled. "And what are you going to call it then?"

L turned to her, looked her right in the eye and said, "An escapade." That made Akemi laugh. "Why all the questions about this anyway?"

"I don't know, I just didn't know if you had changed your mind about thinking of this as a date like I kinda did…" Of course, she didn't think she could admit that she had developed feelings for him and couldn't help wondering if he had any for her.

"And what exactly changed your mind?" he wondered.

Akemi's heart pounded again. She searched her mind for an honest answer but one that didn't reveal everything at once. "Well…I guess with all that's happened so far, I just kinda like the idea of categorizing this as a date…"

"If you like the idea of dating me then that implies that you want a relationship with me," L gathered. "Is that what you want, Miss Yoru?"

"Umm…" Akemi laughed nervously and stopped walking and looked for a quick way out of this conversation she had dug herself into. The building they were standing in front of caught her eye. "Oh, look! This place has desserts! How about some ice cream, it's on me!" She hurried in through the door before he could even respond. L just rolled his eyes, let out a heavy sigh and then followed her inside. It felt like this night would never end.


	9. Nine.

Akemi found an empty table inside the dessert bar she had literally just run into and immediately sat down. L wasn't far behind her and took the seat across from her. He was about to ask her why she dodged his question and ran inside this place when a waitress arrived to take their orders. The menu had countless fancy desserts to choose from but both of them just asked for ice cream sundaes, L of course, requested extra candy toppings on his. Akemi knew he would say something like that. "Didn't you already have a sundae today, Ryuzaki?" she asked with an amused smirk on her face once the waitress stepped away.

"I did, yes," he replied. "But I suppose another wouldn't hurt."

"You know, sometimes I wish I could eat nothing but sweets like you do," Akemi admitted.

"What's stopping you?"

Akemi laughed. "Well, it's not exactly good for the average person. Plus, too much sugar can make me kinda…hyper. So, I try not to consume too much in one day."

"You had a large soda at the movie and some of that cake before you left the hotel," he reminded her. "Are you sure you can handle ice cream too?"

"Oh, that's right…" Akemi felt like an idiot for forgetting about that. "It might be okay, though. It's a special occasion after all…"

"What are we celebrating?" he wondered.

"Um…" she uttered as her eyes darted around nervously. "Just…getting out of that hotel."

"That's a special occasion to you?" he asked, sounding slightly confused.

"Yes," she smiled. "It almost feels like a mini-vacation from being locked in that stuffy building every single day." She suddenly realized she sounded rude and regretted putting it in those words. "I-I mean…It's a nice hotel, but…you know…It's nice to get out once in a while."

"I suppose." L's voice was soft and monotone, like usual. Akemi was worried he might be getting bored with her. She quickly searched her mind for a new topic to converse about. Before she could speak, L said, "By the way, you didn't answer my question, Miss Yoru."

Akemi felt her face flush red. She knew exactly what he was talking about. "Oh, uhh…" Her eyes darted around nervously and she shifted in her seat and fidgeted with her hair. "What…What question?"

"Before you bolted into this place, I asked you if you were interested in being in a relationship with me," he reminded her, even though he didn't have to. She remembered and he was sure she did but he said it anyway.

"Oh, that…" Akemi laughed, knowing she was going to have to do her best to avoid answering him directly. "Well, I…" She wasn't certain of what to say to him and anxiously froze as she tried to think of something. Familiar sounds distracted her for a second and she looked around the room. "Wait, do you hear those voices again? I could swear I heard them…" She turned in her chair and looked a few tables behind them and saw three men in suits hiding their faces behind menus. Akemi thought it was strange but L just ignored it.

"Just moments ago, you were quite determined to call this evening a date so I assumed that perhaps you had some kind of romantic intentions in mind," L told her, his dark eyes peering at her as he bit on his thumbnail.

Akemi's eyes shifted nervously again. "Well, I don't know if I would say I was determined…" Luckily, their sundaes had arrived and Akemi silently thanked the heavens for the convenient interruption. They started eating and she wondered how long it would take until he brought it up again. Since dodging this topic entirely was most likely impossible, Akemi decided to at least ask him a few questions. "Are you in some kind of relationship right now?" she inquired as she stirred her spoon around in her dessert. Akemi was sure the answer was no, but she wanted to ease into the subject instead of just jump into it head on.

L took a bite of ice cream with a small mountain of sprinkles on top and then shook his head. "I'm not."

"Have you ever been in a relationship?" she wondered.

"No," he answered honestly. "The concept of relationships has never interested me."

That was one of the last things Akemi was hoping to hear him say to her. Suddenly, she didn't feel like eating anything now. "Oh…" She dropped her spoon into her bowl and lowered her gaze in disappointment.

L could easily see something was wrong. "Miss Yoru?"

Akemi couldn't gather enough courage to look him in the eye. She felt embarrassed for giving him all those hints that she liked him. She wished she never had now. "I'm fine..." she uttered softly. "I just…I think I need to use the restroom…" L didn't say anything and just watched her walk off in silent confusion.

"God, Akemi, you're so stupid…" she muttered to herself in front of the bathroom mirror as she tried not to get too emotional over this. She didn't expect to feel this bad about getting rejected by someone she had just started crushing on. But she didn't crush on people often and it seemed to end in disaster every single time. Akemi had hoped this would be different but of course it wasn't. She was finally ready to open her heart up to someone again only to get her hopes up. All she wanted to do now was just rip her feelings out and destroy them so she wouldn't wind up getting hurt again. Akemi wasn't even mad at L. She knew there were people in this world who just didn't want to be in relationships. That wasn't his fault. Instead, she was disappointed in herself for not asking him that question in the first place before she started to like him. She knew she had made a fool of herself in front of him and she wasn't sure if she could face him again. But she had no choice.

Once Akemi was ready, she walked out of the restroom and started to make her way back to the table where L was still waiting for her. She passed the front windows and happened to glance outside and when she did, she thought she saw a familiar face then froze in shock. "Dad…?" Without even thinking, she dashed out the front door and weaved through the all the people walking down the street in the direction she saw him going. She searched every face she passed, but couldn't spot him.

L had seen Akemi run and quickly went after her but he had lost sight of her once he had rushed out the door. He had no choice and took his phone out and dialed Akemi's cell number. He waited but she didn't pick up. This concerned him and he knew he would need help so called the first number he could think of. He heard a response a few seconds later. "Matsuda, this is Ryuzaki. Akemi took off and I need you and the others to come out from that place you're hiding and help m-…Matsuda, there's no time for you to play dumb, I know you've been following us the whole time, you didn't exactly make yourselves inconspicuous, now please just help me find her! She couldn't have gone far, I'll head east down this main street, the rest of you split up and look for her. And call me the second you find her." He ended the call and put his phone back in his pocket and then sprinted down the street as he looked for any sign of Akemi.

Meanwhile, Akemi was having no luck finding her father. It was almost as if he just vanished right off the street. She wanted to call out to him but she knew that could be dangerous in case he was being pursued. She couldn't draw attention to herself or to him. After running nonstop for multiple blocks, Akemi slowed down and then rested a moment to catch her breath. Once she was ready, she started to take off again when a hand reached out and grabbed her, taking her by surprise.

"Hey, Akemi, where are you going?" Doran asked, practically coming out of nowhere after spotting her on the street. He grasped onto her arm, forcing her to stay put and she tried tugging her arm out of his grasp. He noticed what she was wearing and quickly eyed her up and down. "Wow, you look really good tonight-"

"Doran, I don't have time for this, let go!" she shouted, still struggling to get free.

"You look upset," Doran observed while he could plainly see she wanted to be released. "What's wrong? Maybe I could take you-"

"No, I don't want to go anywhere with you!" Akemi tried prying his fingers off of her arm with her free hand but it wasn't working. She was about to raise her foot and kick him when a soft voice interrupted them. "Excuse me, but…" Akemi looked back and saw L standing there. She was relieved he had found her. "…I would appreciate it if you released this young lady immediately."

Doran didn't expect anyone to ever confront him like this, especially someone like L. "You?" He instantly recognized him from the entrance ceremony. He also didn't think Akemi would have associated with him. "Akemi, do you know this freak?"

Since L had distracted Doran, Akemi was finally able to slip out of his grasp and then stepped back out of his reach. L didn't want her getting hurt or grabbed again so once he noticed Akemi was free, he moved in front of her to guard her from any further unwelcome contact or stares. "Just leave us alone, Doran," Akemi ordered, worried something bad might happen to L if this didn't end soon.

"How about I just beat the crap out of this pathetic abomination of nature for moving in on my girl and then take you back to my place, Akemi?" Doran suggested, smirking confidently.

"I would strongly advise against doing anything of that sort." There was an anger present in L's gaze that Akemi had never witnessed before. He was usually collected and calm emotionally but not now. "She isn't your girl, she's told you no several times. Why do you continue to pursue her like this after she's made it clear she isn't interested? Obviously, you would have learned by now…"

"Because I deserve at least one date with her," Doran declared, his anger starting to flare. "Especially after I gave her a ride in that storm, my car ended up with rain damage."

"Miss Yoru does not owe you anything," L informed him. "You, sir, are not entitled to any person because you like them. Miss Yoru has the right to make a choice and she did. I believe you should listen to her and respect that."

"Why do you even care?" Doran snapped at him. "Who even said this was any of your business anyway?"

"Well, since I'm here with Miss Yoru right now, I think that makes it my business."

"Are you saying you're dating her?" Doran pried. "What gives a little freak like you the right to be in a relationship with someone like her?"

"Stop calling him that!" Akemi shouted as she fought the urge to tell him off in a not so polite manner. "He might be different but at least he's a better person than you'll  _ever_  be!"

"That hurts, Akemi," Doran remarked, fabricating slight distress. "I never figured you'd ever pick someone like that over me, I mean, what could you possibly be thinking? He can't even stand up and walk like a normal human being…" He barely finished his sentence since he broke out into laughter. It only enraged Akemi even further.

L spoke up again since he was wondering something too. "And, might I ask, what exactly makes Miss Yoru so special to you? Why pursue her when you could surely have other girls who actually like you?"

"Have you looked at her?" Doran smirked, gesturing toward Akemi.

L's eyes shifted to her. "Well, yes, I have. And I'm looking at her right at this moment. What point are you trying to make?"

Doran scoffed. "Are you serious? She's the best looking woman in our university, that's my point. You couldn't see that?"

"I don't judge people merely by their appearance," L declared. "I may be childish but that kind of thinking is superficial and rather juvenile, even for me. I simply do not have time for that senseless and vapid mentality. You cannot determine your compatibility with Miss Yoru solely on what she looks like."

"Okay, why are  _you_  with her then?"

L thought of a clear answer. "Because she wanted me to be."

Doran waited a moment to see if L was going to continue but he didn't. "So…that's it? That's the only reason you went on a date with her?"

"What other reason do I need?" L asked him. "She requested my company and I accepted. It's all quite simple really. I don't understand how you're not grasping this concept."

More rage seethed through Doran as he glared intensely at L. "I know your kind, Ryuga, if that even is your name. You look like a creep that only wants to use her."

"That sounds like the impression that you've been making of yourself. You declared it quite proudly only a few moments ago."

"You don't know anything. My family is one of the most prominent in the country. I could offer her so much more than you ever could. I want to date her because she deserves the best," Doran declared.

"If that's the case then that is what she will get," L said, stepping back, causing Doran to believe he won. Even Akemi grew anxious for a moment as she watched L appear to back down. But, it turned out, L was only moving back so he could stand beside her. "Miss Yoru, shall we?" he asked, offering his right arm for her to take. Akemi did not expect this and she just stared at the arm he was presenting to her for a moment, then accepted it. She slowly placed her hand on his sleeved arm, gently grasping onto his elbow with her trembling fingers. She couldn't believe how nervous she was feeling during all of this. L shot Doran a small, sly smirk. "I think it's time that I, her date for this evening, suggest we go somewhere that's a bit more to Miss Yoru's liking." Akemi couldn't believe what she had just heard him say. She lost her breath and could feel her heart pounding so hard, she expected it to burst inside of her chest. Of course, she knew she couldn't let herself get too carried away since she realized this may have been something L was doing to prevent Doran from bothering her. But just hearing him speak those words aloud, especially after what he said about how he wasn't interested in relationships, made her wonder if there could have been even just an inkling of truth behind them. He seemed to say it so easily and naturally. It gave Akemi hope that perhaps one day it could be true.

"Yeah, he's just gonna dump you tomorrow, Akemi!" Doran shouted at them angrily. "I know what creeps like him do! The second he gets what he wants, you're out of his life! You're smarter than that, Akemi!"

Having heard what was said and understanding it, L stopped walking and turned around and faced him once again. "You don't seem to know me at all. None of that is important to me. But…Miss Yoru's happiness is. And, clearly, you don't make her happy. So, if you don't mind, we're leaving. Good evening to you, Mr. Yasai." L escorted Akemi down the street until they were out of Doran's sight. Once they were, Akemi released his arm so he could make a few phone calls. She wasn't even listening to the conversations. All she could concentrate on was what had just happened. When he was through, L slipped his phone back into his pocket and they started walking down the street again.

There was so much Akemi knew she had to say and she wanted to begin by explaining her actions. "I'm so sorry, Ryuzaki," she apologized wholeheartedly. "I must have put you through a lot…I didn't mean to run away, I just…I thought I saw my father passing by and I just took off looking for him. Honestly, I was going to come back and find you. You believe me, right?"

"Of course. Are you alright?" His voice was soft, yet empathetic. It calmed her.

"Yeah, I'll be fine," Akemi said. Between the rejection, seeing her father and that whole ordeal with Doran, she knew she should be an emotional wreck right now but she was feeling surprisingly stable. If anything, she was just happy to see how much L cared about her and to know her father was still alive. "So, I guess it's time to head back then. Are we taking the bus again or…?"

"I called Watari. He should arrive and pick us up soon."

Akemi smiled shyly. "Oh, okay, good."

There were a few things L couldn't get off of his mind. "You know…You saw your father and then you run into that Doran Yasai…"

Akemi raised a curious eyebrow. "What are you thinking?"

"I don't want to jump to any conclusions but it just seems like more than coincidence to me," L confessed. "We'll have an entire team come in and search the area shortly. And possibly question Mr. Yasai."

"You think he's involved, don't you?" Akemi knew that was exactly what he was thinking.

"The fact that he attempted to drive you somewhere other than your home and then you were pursued shortly after departing from his car and now we saw him after you spotted your father…This has gone beyond being merely coincidental." L suddenly remembered something. "By the way, I ended up paying for that ice cream you said that you would take care of."

Akemi held back an embarrassed smile. "Oh…that…"

"You still owe me something then," L reminded her.

"Okay…" Akemi wasn't going to argue with that. They ended up walking passed a candy store and Akemi let L pick out whatever he wanted. He had quite a time deciding but he left happy with a couple of candy bars and a giant rainbow lollipop. It wasn't long before they found themselves strolling down the street again.

There was a long silence until Akemi spoke up. "Ryuzaki…Earlier when you were defending me and then called me your date…Were you just trying to end the dispute or…did you really mean all of that?"

L felt annoyed just recalling how awful that confrontation was. "I should not have had to do that. I have no personal experience with the traditions of courtship but I do know that the behavior he displayed didn't utilize proper etiquette. The moment you said no, he should have left you alone. But saying those things and claiming myself as yours seemed to be the only solution at the time. I concluded if he was under the impression you were spoken for, he would just go on his way and it would be solved. It's unclear whether or not he'll continue to pursue you but it's unlikely he'll bother you again tonight."

"You didn't answer my question though…"

L knew he had to reply in a proper manner but he also didn't want to lie to her either. "You really want to know?"

Akemi wanted to avoid disappointment but she knew she couldn't let this continue on with a one-sided crush. She decided knowing was better than guessing. "Yes. Please tell me."

"Miss Yoru…" he said in his soft, emotionless tone as he looked her right in the eyes. Akemi held her breath and braced herself. "I already told you I have never had any desire to be romantic with anyone."

Akemi's hope had been drained from her eyes upon hearing that. She tried to hide it but L noticed.

"But…"

_'Wait, what?'_  Suddenly, Akemi felt her heart racing again.

L continued on. "I would be lying if I said I didn't like being around you. Honestly, being social with anyone doesn't strike me as fun, in fact, most people tend to annoy me. And it's true that you can be quite difficult at times but, I've come to find myself liking your company. Your kind disposition and open mind make it simple for me to be around you. I've felt like this ever since you first smiled at me."

For a long moment, Akemi was speechless. His words surprised her yet comforted her a little. It sounded as if he was at least tolerant of her and felt more at ease around her than he did around other people. But she couldn't help wondering if he was trying to tell her something else. "So…what exactly does that mean?" she asked meekly.

"Well, Miss Yoru, it means…" L gazed up at the faint stars that were visible through the mechanical city lights as he pondered his response. Akemi felt her heart racing as she awaited his next words. "I like you." He heard a soft gasp and then a relieved exhale escape from Akemi as a black limousine pulled up and stopped at the corner they were standing next to. L looked at Akemi and saw she wasn't paying attention to anything except her emotions. "Our ride is here, Miss Yoru," L informed her and she snapped out of her daze.

"Oh…okay…" Akemi sighed softly and then L opened the car door for her before Watari could step out of the driver's seat to do so. "Thank you, Ryuzaki," she said and sat in the back seat beside him. Once they were all ready, Watari started to drive them back to the hotel.

"Thank you for everything, actually," Akemi said to L. He just glanced at her and replied, "You're welcome, Akemi," and then looked out of his window. That was the first time he had ever addressed her by her first name. She smiled to herself and then noticed L's left hand was resting between them on the seat. Akemi hesitated but then placed her right hand on top of L's in a silent gesture of gratitude.

L, not being used to feeling unexpected physical contact, flinched and tensed up and slid his hand out from underneath hers, recoiling his arm up over his knees so she couldn't touch him. "Oh…" Akemi uttered, hoping she hadn't startled him too immensely. "I-I'm sorry…I didn't mean…" She had thought he would be alright with that after letting her grasp onto his arm earlier but then she realized he had been okay with that because he was prepared for it. But this time, he hadn't been.

L's eyes were locked on the glowing scenery as he stared out the window, silently composing himself. He knew Akemi wouldn't hurt him and he could tell she was feeling guilty judging by the tone of her voice. Akemi placed her hands on her lap and turned her head and looked away from him just in case her gaze was also uninvited and made him uncomfortable too. She watched the city pass by through the windows on her side of the car while she thought about how she was feeling about L and how happy she was to know he liked her. She wondered if he might ease up around her a little more once he got used to the idea of having a relationship.

While Akemi was lost in her thoughts, she suddenly felt a gentle pressure on top of her right hand, causing her to quietly gasp and look down at her lap. There, resting on top of her hand was L's. Akemi almost couldn't believe it after he had pulled it away from her just moments before. She smiled and then looked up at L. He was gazing out the window again. Akemi slowly turned her hand over so she could hold his and he didn't even budge this time. Akemi just held his hand gently in hers and felt his grasp on hers tighten a little as if he was assuring her that this was okay with him. Akemi felt her smile grow wider and she let out a soft laugh, which L heard, causing him to crack a faint smile as he kept staring out the window.


	10. Ten.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [A/N: I swear to god I looked everywhere for a canon alias for Ukita but couldn't find one so I just made one up. ^_^ - d]

The black limousine continued driving through the illuminated city. It was getting late so it was quiet and very few other cars were nearby. Akemi had just fallen asleep a few minutes ago and her head was resting up on the back of the seat. But once Watari, had turned the corner to pull up in front of the hotel, the force from the turn caused her body to tilt toward L and her head ended up falling on his left shoulder. He tensed up when he felt it but then looked at her to make sure she was alright. She was still sleeping and her mouth was open slightly and she was making soft snoring noises. L just stared at her silently, nearly laughing at the way Akemi looked and sounded while she was sleeping on him.

Watari parked the limousine by the front entrance and then looked at L and Akemi through the rear view mirror. He smiled to himself when he noticed Akemi was asleep, then asked, "Are you going to wake her, Ryuzaki?"

L continued to gaze down at the sleeping girl who was still leaning on his shoulder. He lifted his right hand to her head and gently brushed a few tousled locks of Akemi's hair out of her face with his index fingertip. "I don't know if I want to," he said softly as he kept his eyes locked on her. Honestly, he could sit there with her like that all night but he knew Akemi needed to sleep comfortably in her bed. But he didn't want to disturb her either. Suddenly, L had an idea. He slipped his hand away from Akemi's and then said, "Watari, please open the door." L unbuckled himself and Akemi from their seat belts and then he managed to slip out of the limousine without causing Akemi to fall over on the seat. L leaned back into the car and as carefully as he could, he lifted Akemi up into his arms and started to carry her into the hotel. Watari realized what L was doing and asked, "Do you need some assistance, Ryuzaki?"

"No, I can handle this…" L sighed, then felt Akemi wrapping her arms around his neck in a sleepy daze. Her eyes were still closed and she drifted off again instantly. He didn't expect that extra contact and tensed up again but then told himself to relax. The last thing he wanted to do was get too distracted and end up dropping and hurting her. He was able to compose himself and focused all of his attention on what he was doing. "Just please get the doors for us, Watari."

Despite having some posture and balance difficulties since he had never attempted anything like this before, L managed to carry Akemi inside the building and within a few minutes, they were back to their suite. Watari opened the door to Akemi's room and L approached her bed and then carefully lowered her onto it. Once she was settled, he slipped her shoes off for her and then pulled the covers over her. He took a moment to just gaze at her and he noticed she appeared to be smiling in her sleep. Seeing that caused a tiny smile to form on his face just before he turned to leave, then stopped when he heard her stirring. L watched her to see if she was waking up but she only turned on her side, still beaming, then sighing, "Ryuzaki…" L had heard her and studied her closely with his curious eyes. Akemi's own eyes were still closed so he knew she probably hadn't seen him and was simply talking in her sleep. He lingered there a little longer to see if she would follow up with anything else. L moved closer to her and knelt right beside her bed and asked softly, "Yes, Akemi?" There was a brief moment of silence and then he heard her laugh softly and then say, "I love…your dimples…They're…cute…Here, have some…more cake…" She began snoring right after she spoke and all of that left L a bit puzzled by her statement's randomness but it also amused him too. He smiled at her one last time before rising up from the floor, turning around and stepping out of her room. After he closed the door, he sighed heavily as the elated feelings he just experienced were abruptly dissipated and his mind became plagued with dread. "Is everything alright, Ryuzaki?" Watari asked him from the main room. He hadn't expected L to be in her room for more than a short moment. "Is Miss Yoru alright? Did you wake her?"

"No," L replied, then bit on his thumbnail while he fell into deep thought. "Everything is fine."

"You look like something is troubling you," Watari observed.

"Akemi…" L uttered quietly, almost sounding like he was confused or just in awe.

This only concerned Watari further. "Yes? What about her?"

L wasn't sure how to explain it so he simply said, "She looked…happy."

Watari smiled softly. "You seem to have said that as if that's a negative emotion for her to express after she spent the evening with you. Were you expecting her to be upset?"

L walked over to his chair and sat down in his usual position and continued pondering. "I only find it odd how she can be happy like this during such a difficult time. I still haven't found her father or many clues as to his whereabouts, yet, somehow Akemi still finds the means to be happy while her life could very much be falling apart around her at any time. By all accounts, she should probably be exhibiting more signs of stress or dejection, as most people in her situation would. She more than likely knows this and yet…all she wants to do is spend her time with me instead of acting out on those emotions."

"Well, I think it sounds like being with you may not be what's logical but it simply might be what she needs," Watari told him. "You, Ryuzaki, are what likely keeps her from—as you put it–falling apart. There's no need to overthink it too much."

Even though it had been difficult for him, L accepted that Akemi liked him. But, part of him still wondered why. "I suppose I'm still having trouble understanding how I could make someone happy. I've never had to carry that weight. And now I wonder how long this will actually last." L dreaded the inevitable moment when he knew he would have to leave Akemi's life. He wasn't sure when it would happen but he hoped it wouldn't be soon. Despite his doubts, he still liked knowing Akemi appeared to be happy with him. Her feelings actually meant something to him. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt her. So, he decided that he would just try to do everything he could to make her happy in the meantime. L glanced at the clock hanging up on the wall and then said, "It'll probably be about seven more hours until she wakes." His eyes kept darting to the clock, watching the second hand move and pause every other minute. He didn't say it aloud but he was looking forward to being with her again just as she had when she waited for him to wake up the day before. Watari remembered that and smiled to himself at how alike those two were sometimes yet they didn't even realize it.

* * *

Warm sunlight peeking through her curtains and beaming onto her face stirred Akemi awake. After yawning and rubbing sleep from her eyes, she sat up in her bed and glanced at the clock on the bedside table. She realized she had slept longer than she had intended to and then tried to recall how many hours she had been out for. Akemi couldn't remember what time she had went to bed. Then she looked down and saw that she was still wearing the dress she had put on before leaving the hotel with L. She couldn't even remember coming back into her room. It just seemed extremely peculiar to her. _'Maybe this is nothing,'_ Akemi told herself. _'You weren't drinking so nothing too embarrassing must have happened. You were probably just too tired to remember anything…'_

Akemi tried to shrug it off and then hopped out of her bed and got changed and ready for the day. When she stepped out of her room and walked into the main room, L heard her and perked up a little in his seat. He broke his focus from his laptop screen and watched her approach him with a shy smile on her face. "Good morning, Ryuzaki," Akemi greeted as she sat down on the couch beside him.

"Good morning, Akemi," he replied, locking his strong gaze on her. He noticed her cheeks were slightly flushed pink and she couldn't stop smiling and had trouble keeping eye contact with him. She was a nervous wreck but happy at the same time. His mouth smirked slightly in amusement by her reactions to simply sitting next to him. There was also a radiance about her that he couldn't recall seeing before at this time of the day. Usually after she woke up, she appeared groggy and drained but today, she was much more full of life. She was practically glowing with exuberance and energy. It was hard for him to take his eyes off her. "You look…" he began but stopped to carefully choose the right words, "…rested."

Akemi chuckled. She hadn't expected to hear him say that. "Well, I suppose I slept better last night than I have for a long time. I slept so well, I can't even remember how or when I got back into my room…"

L broke eye contact with her and then quickly reached for his cup of coffee that was sitting on the table in front of him and muttered, "Is that so…" before taking a long sip.

"The last thing I remember was being in the limousine with you," Akemi stated and eyed him curiously. He noticed and looked away as he continued to appear preoccupied with his coffee. "Ryuzaki…?" she asked, holding back a smile as she slid closer to him and then rested her chin on his shoulder. L stopped drinking his coffee when he felt it and turned his head and looked at her as she asked, "Do you know anything about that?"

Still keeping his cup near to his lips, L muttered, "Know about what?" He looked away from her again as he took another drink and Akemi chuckled softly.

"About how I mysteriously woke up in my room," she reminded him, her eyes fixed on him as they glistened with amusement. "Did I walk up here myself but just don't remember it? Was I sleepwalking? Did someone carry me?"

L suddenly started coughing and Akemi gave him a look of concern. "You alright?" she asked, raising her head from his shoulder. He just nodded once it calmed and kept drinking his coffee innocently.

"We followed you guys last night to make sure you made it back and I could've sworn I spotted Ryuzaki carrying something into the building," Matsuda spoke up from across the room. Akemi softly gasped and looked toward him, feeling sheepish because she hadn't even noticed a few of the other task force members were present since she had been solely focused on L from the moment she walked in. "I think it was Miss Yoru."

Akemi's jaw dropped a little in surprise and she turned her head toward L again. "Is that what really happened?" she asked through another smile. L didn't even look at her though since his angry stare was set on Matsuda.

L slowly lowered his coffee cup to speak. "That will do, Mr. Matsui," L muttered grouchily as he glared at him with unequivocal rage.

"Aw, come on, Ryuzaki, don't be embarrassed," Matsuda laughed with a hint of nervousness. "Girls like that sort of thing."

"I have never done anything embarrassing," L declared coldly. "The only embarrassment I have ever felt has been second-hand embarrassment from watching you act like an idio-"

"Ryuzaki, that's not nice," Akemi chimed in, hoping to ease the growing awkward tension before the situation escalated into something worse. L's fiery gaze continued to burn right into Matsuda. He hadn't even blinked once.

"Akemi, could you please step out into the hall and wait for me?" L asked her. "I think it would be best to continue this conversation elsewhere. But I have a few things to say to Mr. Matsui first."

"Oh…" Akemi wasn't expecting this. "Yeah, okay. Sure." She rose up from the couch without another word. Secretly, Akemi hoped that L wouldn't explode at Matsuda for saying what he did. He looked really mad and it concerned her. On her way out of the room, she glanced toward the kitchen area and spotted a few of the other officers eating doughnuts. She couldn't resist the urge to investigate.

"Oh, hello, Miss Yoru," Ukita greeted when he saw her enter the kitchen. He held an open box out toward her. "Would you like one?"

Akemi hadn't eaten anything since the night before and was starving. "Sure, thanks, Mr. Uchida," she replied, using his alias. She grabbed a few napkins off of the counter and then plucked two doughnuts out of the box with them so her fingers wouldn't get frosting all over them. "See you, guys! Please make sure Ryuzaki doesn't destroy Mr. Matsui!" she said and headed into the hall to wait for L.

A few minutes later, the door opened and L stepped out looking more annoyed than usual. Before Akemi could speak, he just said, "Let's go for a walk."

"Oh…Okay," was all she replied with. They stepped into the elevator and then walked on outside in silence. Akemi wanted to wait for L to calm down a bit before attempting conversation. "Is everything alright?" she asked shyly once it felt like the time was right. She didn't want to end up setting him off or worsen his mood.

"Everything's fine," he muttered through his teeth. Akemi could hear how irritated he still sounded.

"You didn't yell at him too much, did you?" she asked.

"I merely told Mr. Matsui to mind his own business," L replied, keeping the details vague.

"So…You really did carry me into the hotel to avoid waking me up?"

Akemi looked at L for his answer. His gaze remained straight ahead rather than on her. "Yes," he admitted. "I did."

"Why couldn't you just tell me that?" she asked through a growing smile.

"I tried to deduce all of my calculations down to the most probable reaction that you would convey but…there wasn't a guarantee as to how you would respond had I told you."

Akemi couldn't help but laugh a little. It was obvious to her that he was simply trying too hard. She wasn't angered by it though since it seemed he was at least putting effort into attempting to act the way she would have been the most comfortable with. "Ryuzaki…You know you don't have to overanalyze me, right? I'm not a case or a puzzle you always have to solve. And you don't have to always say the most logical things. It's okay if you just want to talk to me like we're having a normal conversation. You can say whatever you feel like saying. There's no test here."

"So…" L tried to put this all together in the correct terms. "You're encouraging me to say whatever I want? About anything?"

She smiled warmly and nodded. "Yes. I just want you to be yourself."

"But what if overanalyzing everything is actually just what I do naturally?" he inquired. "Do you still want me to be myself?"

"Yes," Akemi laughed. "All I ask is that you try not to hide things from me or stress yourself out overthinking every tiny thing. I just want you to feel like you can tell me anything. Anyway, I thought you knew me well enough to know I won't judge you or get angry at you over things like that."

"Well, I do. It's just-"

"Or were you just trying to hide the fact that you did something nice for me because you care about me?"

A long, heavy sigh escaped L. "I don't know, really. All I do know is that this whole thing is new for me and I don't think I can express myself as openly as you can. And it may be best that, if we do continue this, we keep it to ourselves as much as possible."

Akemi didn't quite understand what he was saying. To her, it sounded like he was ashamed of being with her and doing things for her. It started to break her heart a little. "So…you're just embarrassed to be with me and you just don't want to admit that you care about me?" Her gaze slowly lowered down to her feet in sadness.

L detected immense disappointment in her voice. He knew he had to be truthful with her, at least, as truthful as possible. He wouldn't say this, but he hated to admit that he wasn't as sure about all of this as he usually was when he searched for answers. As well as he thought he understood Akemi's personality, there were still instances where he couldn't always be certain of how she would interpret things he said or did. He knew how most relationships worked with most people but this was the first time he had ever personally been involved with anyone so he wanted to be cautious with the way he handled particular matters. He was aware that not all people respond to things in the same way all the time. And he knew that if he messed up, it could end abruptly and badly. L simply wanted to avoid making Akemi uncomfortable or put her in an awkward situation. To him, what Matsuda did, went too far and it angered him. Not only was he unsure of how Akemi would feel, he also didn't like the way Matsuda publicly announced that he did what most people would interpret as a good deed for someone else. All he did was carry Akemi so he didn't have to wake her, so most people might not think much of it. But L feared that, even just by doing more little things for her, the rest of the task force might figure out he had developed feelings for her. There hadn't been much talk about it between the other officers outside of their speculations and teasing that the previous night's outing was a date but L had tried his best to convince them that it was strictly an evening between friends. He wasn't embarrassed to be with Akemi. That had nothing to do with it. He was aware that if their relationship was out in the open, the wrong people might find out and it could end up being dangerous not only for him but for Akemi. "Not in front of other people, no," he finally confessed. "And I'm not embarrassed to be with you. Didn't you hear what I said earlier? I don't get embarrassed." Akemi made eye contact with him again and listened. "To be honest, I don't get attached to people very often. And I've never had to admit anything like that before."

"You've never told anyone you care about them?" Akemi asked.

"No," L replied truthfully. "Especially not in the way I…you know…with you…"

A bright smile appeared on Akemi's face as he trailed off. "And what way would that be, Ryuzaki?"

"Yeah, yeah, you know exactly what way it is…" L muttered, playfully rolling his eyes.

"Okay, fine, I won't bug you about it anymore," she promised, then remembered what she was holding in her hands. " Oh yeah, I grabbed a few doughnuts for us," she said and held his out for him to take. "This is yours."

He had already eaten several of them before leaving the hotel but accepted it anyway. "Thank you, Akemi."

"That was the last chocolate one in the box so I saved it for you," Akemi told him proudly. "I took the last one with sprinkles."

"Nice choice," L complimented.

"I thought so." Akemi's attention was focused on him so hadn't noticed that they had entered a busy street and she didn't see a larger group of people walking towards them. Most of them were moving pretty fast and it looked like she was about to collide right into some of them. L noticed though and quickly grabbed onto her free hand with his and pulled her aside to try to move her out of the way. A man talking on a cell phone collided shoulders with Akemi, but that was all that happened since L had acted as quickly as he did. The person she bumped into continued walking on as if nothing had occurred and both L and Akemi were relieved. "Are you alright?" L asked her and released her hand, then moved it to her shoulder and slowly lifted her shirt's sleeve up with two fingers so he could check her for a possible injury. "Yeah, I'm fine…" she sighed after they could both see that part of her shoulder was only a bit red from the collision. She didn't have much pain otherwise. Suddenly, she realized she had dropped something after bumping into the stranger. "Oh…" Akemi uttered and looked to the ground beneath them. "My doughnut…" Both of them could see it lying on the sidewalk upside down, the frosting undoubtedly covered with who knows what kind of dirty elements. L glanced at Akemi and noticed her disappointment.

L looked down at the chocolate covered doughnut in his hand. It was still untouched. He extended his arm toward her and said, "Here. You can have mine."

Akemi appeared to be moved by the gesture and she smiled gratefully, but replied, "No, Ryuzaki, that's yours. I got it for you."

"I already had half a dozen this morning," he informed her, then both of them heard a rumble coming from Akemi's stomach. Her face flushed red and she pressed her arms against it to silence it. L just continued on talking, thinking nothing of it. "And it sounds like you need it more than I do."

Bothered by hunger pains and not feeling like arguing, Akemi smiled again and accepted it. "Thank you. I owe you something."

"You don't owe me anything," L disagreed. He didn't want her to fuss over him.

"Oh, and by the way…" Akemi began as they continued to stroll down the sidewalk, "I don't mind that you took me back to my room. And I trust you so I know you would have been respectful to me. I think it's kinda sweet, actually."

"That's good to know."

Akemi took a bite from the doughnut she was holding, then spoke while she ate it. "You can wake me next time, though," she permitted. "Even if I'm tired and grouchy and act mad, don't worry. I'll forgive you."

"I can barely hear what you're saying through all of that muttering," L teased. "And I thought I was a rude eater…"

"Oh, silence, you!" Akemi laughed and swore she caught him smirking a bit.

"Oh, and by the way…"

"Yes?"

L gestured to his mouth and uttered, "You got something…on your…"

"I what?" Akemi asked and then wiped her lips off with her napkin. "Did I get it?"

L did everything he could to force himself not to laugh. "I think so."

Akemi just continued eating and chatting with him as they returned to the hotel. As they approached the front entrance, they passed by Matsuda and Ukita who were on their way out. "Hi, guys! Bye, guys!" Akemi called to them.

"Are you saving some of that doughnut for later, Miss Yoru?" Ukita joked. Akemi stopped walking and faced them and Matsuda looked at back at her and quickly saw what Ukita meant and started laughing as they both walked off to their car.

"Wait, what?" Akemi asked and then turned to look at her reflection on the hotel's front door. Right there on both sides of her mouth were smudges of chocolate frosting large enough for them to notice.

"Ryuzaki!" By the time Akemi turned to lecture him, he was already inside the hotel. She just darted after him, vigorously laughing the entire way back to the room.


	11. Eleven.

"Okay, Ryuzaki, here's a new list of names and information of criminals who've died recently," Matsuda announced and passed a file of papers to L who was sitting in the main room, discussing case matters with all available task force members. "We're not sure how many could be tied to Kira yet, we still have more research to do, but those are the details we have at the moment."

"Thank you," L replied and then started reading the list. "I think, for our next move, we'll-"

L was interrupted by sounds coming from Akemi's room. Everyone else went quiet, taking a few seconds to listen. It sounded like upbeat pop music. And Akemi was singing along with it, loudly and mostly out of key. L actually had to force himself to hold back a laugh. He wasn't even sure why he found it so funny. Normally, hearing people interrupting him, especially in a way like that, would irritate him. But unlike him, Aizawa and Ukita weren't so amused.

"Urgh..." Aizawa growled in annoyance, "does she have to do this right now? We're working here!"

"Someone should tell her to turn it down..." Ukita agreed, but then Matsuda started tapping his toes and snapping his fingers to the beat. "This is a catchy song though," Matsuda said, smiling brightly. "Miss Yoru sure has good taste in music..."

"Oh great, now don't you start singing too," Aizawa warned him with an irritated glare. "Could someone please put an end to that noise? I can't hear myself think right now."

Watari stepped into the room and announced, "I'll ask the young lady to keep it down." He started to approach her door but then stopped when he heard L address him.

"There's no need for that, Watari," L told him as he rose up from his chair. "I'll speak with her. The rest of you, please carry on." L knocked on Akemi's door but she didn't hear him so he tried again with a bit more force. Still no answer. He tried a third time and decided if she didn't respond after this, he'd have to just open the door himself if it was unlocked. But that wasn't necessary.

When her door finally opened, L's ears were greeted with the music nearly at full blast and he saw Akemi smiling brightly when she noticed it was him. "Ryuzaki! Come on in!"

"Your music is really loud!" he yelled over it as he stepped inside. "Don't you have any ear phones?"

"Yes, but they're broken!" she replied, bouncing along to the music and singing out of key again.

L couldn't believe how much energy this girl had. She wasn't acting like this the last time he saw her not even an hour ago. "How many more doughnuts did you eat after we got back this morning?" he asked her.

"Uh..." she uttered as she continued to dance around the room, "Maybe four?"

'I guess she wasn't kidding when she told me sugar has a hyperactive effect on her...' he thought to himself before wondering if it was the sugar itself making her act this way or if it could be an entirely different reason. "We're trying to work in the other room! Could you turn this off for the time being?"

"Oh, okay, sure! Can I finish this song first?"

"I suppose..."

"Come on, Ryuzaki, dance with me!" Akemi insisted and reached for his wrist and tried to pull him to the middle of the room but he didn't budge.

"I'd rather not," he muttered showing no enthusiasm whatsoever.

"No one's gonna see us, you don't have to be embarrassed," she laughed, still tugging on his arm. He still refused to move.

"I already told you, I don't-"

"-you don't get embarrassed, yeah, yeah," she finished for him and then chuckled as she looked at his annoyed expression on his face. "I won't tell anyone if you loosen up just this once and boogie down with me."

"I have never boogied down in my entire life and I do not intend to start now," he muttered grumpily and slipped his arm out of Akemi's grasp.

"Goodness, you're grouchy," Akemi observed, still smiling at him as she turned the music down. "Do you need some candy?"

"Why, do you have any?" he asked, looking up at her with hopeful eyes.

Akemi laughed again. "Let me check." She stepped over to her dresser and fumbled around in one of the drawers she kept random things in and then took a chocolate bar out of it. "Yep!"

"Where did you get this?" L asked as she handed it to him and then sat down on her bed.

"Well, when you give me chocolate bars, I don't always eat them right away," she answered. "Sometimes I keep them for later. Not everyone eats junk food the second it gets handed to them, you know."

L sat on the chair that was next to her bed and asked, "So, are you into a lot of American culture?"

She didn't understand his question at first. "What do you mean?"

"The song you were listening to was by an American artist," he reminded her as he unwrapped his candy bar and broke off a piece with two fingers then popped it into his mouth. "But it was a popular song that charted in several countries the 1980's."

Akemi raised a curious eyebrow at him and smiled. "How do you know so much about music? You don't really seem like the music loving type to me, but..."

L didn't even answer her question and just replied with, "I was only making conversation."

"Yeah, okay..." Akemi just let him be mysterious like usual and brushed the subject aside and went on to explain how she discovered that particular song. "It was on the radio just now but I know that song from a playlist my mother made when she traveled a lot for her job. She went to many different countries and recorded songs she heard off of the radio in all kinds of languages and gave the tapes to me when I was little but old enough to operate a cassette player. It's been a long time since I've listened to them but I still have them. I guess I was feeling nostalgic."

"Are they at your house?" L asked, his mouth full of chocolate again.

Akemi nodded. "Mhmm."

"Do you want them?"

"What?"

"I asked you if you wanted your tapes," L elaborated. "Or anything else from your house?"

Akemi smiled a little. "Why, are you planning on going there, breaking in, getting random things and bringing them here?"

"I could get someone to do that if that is what you want," he told her seriously. "We will be changing hotels later today and it's possible for us to fill your new room with some of your own belongings."

"Oh...it's okay..." Akemi's gaze lowered to her lap. "I mean, that would be great but-"

"Then it's settled," L declared and stood up from his seat and started to walk out of the room. "I'll make the arrangements..."

Akemi jumped up from the bed and hurried after him to stop him. "Ryuzaki, wait!" She was able to catch him by the arm just before he left.

"Yes, Akemi?" His dark eyes peered at her curiously.

"You don't have to go out of your way to do anything for me," she assured him. "Really, it's okay."

L took a few steps closer to her and then stared at her for a long moment. His tired, black eyes gazed strongly into hers and it didn't take him long to tell exactly what she was thinking. "You're concerned that there might be people watching your house due to your father being involved in the embezzlement crimes and you're worried if someone goes there, they might not come back. Is that right?"

Akemi felt her face turn slightly red. He was entirely correct. "I...I just want everyone to be safe."

"Please don't worry, Akemi. I have many contacts, none of them will be caught, let alone seen, by anyone who may be watching your home."

"So, you wouldn't be going there yourself?" she asked.

"Don't concern yourself with me," he insisted. "You have enough to worry about."

"Ryuzaki, I told you not to go out of your way for me," she reminded him and then let go of his arm. "You really don't have to do this."

Once again, his eyes stared right into hers. The room fell quiet for a moment until he asked, "Where is your mother, Akemi?"

A long silence filled the room again. She had been dreading that question since she had brought the subject up. Regret started to consume her. She wished she had never mentioned her mother to begin with. "I'm surprised you don't know," was all she said. "You did so much research on me and my father..."

"I did look her up to see if she had any links to the case on your father but I couldn't find much information on her," L admitted. "Can you tell me what happened to her?"

The light suddenly dimmed from Akemi's eyes. She felt her heart sink as she let painful memories from the past resurface. "I don't want to talk about it..."

L instantly understood and left it at that. "I see. My apologies, Akemi. I didn't intend to upset you with my questions." He waited for her to respond but she didn't. She just sat down on her bed and kept her gaze lowered and didn't say a word. Her silence concerned him. "Are you alright, Akemi?"

Not having the strength to speak without breaking, Akemi just nodded yes, her eyes still down to avoid his. L didn't believe her but he didn't want to force her to talk about it either. He wanted to help but he wasn't sure how. Akemi didn't want to lie to him and she did want to tell him everything. It was just difficult for her to say, let alone think about. It was unclear to L what she expected him to do so he just left her alone.

* * *

"Hey, Ryuzaki, I was just wondering-" Matsuda approached L who was sitting on his chair, watching a video on his laptop. It didn't look like anything in relation to their cases so Matsuda was surprised to see it. "Are you...Ryuzaki, are you watching dance instructional videos?"

L quickly closed his laptop and then faced Matsuda and said, "I was not doing anything of the sort, Matsui. Now, what do you need?"

Matsuda just couldn't get over what he had just seen and refused to drop the subject. "But, I just saw you-"

"I was strictly doing research and that is all you need to know," L growled and then hopped up from his chair and then began to look out one of the room's windows. He was grateful that the conversation ended as soon as Aizawa and Ukita started talking to him.

"Ryuzaki, we've been thinking, and, do you think maybe it's time to give Miss Yoru her own separate hotel room instead of letting her continue to use the bedroom here?" Aizawa suggested. "The rest of us think that some extra space might be good for her."

"The idea had already crossed my mind, honestly," L replied as he stared out the window in deep thought. "Days ago, in fact."

"Why didn't you just do that in the first place after she recovered from her illness?" Ukita inquired. "If she didn't have to be here with us, then why did you let her stay?"

L honestly wasn't exactly sure what to say. There were multiple reasons but he didn't know which one to give them. True, she hadn't exactly needed them for a while now and she would have been fine going about her daily activities on her own. Yet, L still worried about her. As distracting as she was sometimes, he also liked having her around, even if he wouldn't admit it to them. It had been difficult enough admitting it to himself. "I suppose it kept slipping my mind. But I do agree, moving her would be beneficial for everyone. After we move to the next hotel, she will get her own separate suite entirely."

"Wait, Ryuzaki," Matsuda spoke up, "wouldn't moving her to her own room go against your agreement with her? Didn't she promise to stay with us? And do you trust her to not run away if she's on her own?"

"Technically, no, it wouldn't go against our agreement," L answered. "And, yes, I trust her not to run away. I don't think she would do that."

"How do you know for sure?" Aizawa asked. He knew how suspicious L was of everyone and wondered why it seemed like Akemi was some kind of exception.

"Yeah, I mean, Miss Yoru seems nice and I don't mind her being here and I'm glad I helped her in the first place, but we haven't known her that long and I don't-"

"Mr. Matsui, I assure you, Miss Yoru won't violate our agreement and if she does, she would more than likely have a good reason to do so," L promised. He knew Akemi better than they did and he trusted her to keep her word. "Watari..."

A moment later, Watari stepped into the room. "Yes, Ryuzaki?"

"Please make arrangements for Miss Yoru to have her own separate suite," L instructed. "It would be best to have her nearby just in case she needs us for anything, so keeping her on the same floor would be preferred. Also, please install the necessary surveillance cameras and security system once her room is booked."

"Consider it done." Watari then went on his way to fulfill L's requests.

Ukita, Aizawa and Matsuda didn't like the sound of L's last sentence regarding the cameras. "Surveillance, Ryuzaki?"

"How are you even considering doing this again?"

"Yeah, is that really necessary? You just said you trust her..."

L had expected them to say something about the subject and oppose to it. So, he explained his intentions. "Yes, it is necessary. But it's not to watch her, there's no need for that. There will only be cameras at her room's main entrance and balcony door so we can make sure no one suspicious tries to get inside and harm her. It will be similar to the security we use for our rooms and Miss Yoru will be aware of it once she moves in. It's strictly a precaution. I'm sure she'll understand and won't protest." His explanation seemed to satisfy them and they didn't question it any further.

* * *

A few hours passed. The time for them to switch hotels had arrived. L let Akemi ride in his limo with him but she didn't feel like talking or even looking at him. It wasn't that she was mad at him. She just looked out her window quietly and thought about whether she should open up to him. It was obvious he wanted to know more about her and was trying to put forth the effort to get to know her and she felt guilty for hiding certain things since his trust meant everything to her. But sometimes, she couldn't tell if he genuinely wanted to know her or if he was just subtly interrogating her for his investigations.

Once everyone had met in the task force's main room, L approached Akemi, who was sitting on one of the couches thinking to herself, and said, "Akemi, this is your key for this room as this door will always be locked. Please do not lose it." He presented a key to her, dangling from his first two fingers, and she accepted it without question.

Matsuda couldn't help overhearing when he walked in and smirked at them. "Ooh, her own room key, huh? Almost sounds like when a couple starts dating and gives each other keys to their apartments after things get serious-"

"I heard that, Matsui..." L grumbled with a piercing glare in his eyes. "Put an end to that nonsense immediately."

Matsuda laughed awkwardly and then gave a nervous tug at his shirt collar. "I-I was just joking, Ryuzaki...heh heh..."

L just tried to ignore him and then said, "Come on, Akemi, I'll show you where your room is..." She stood up and followed him out into the hallway.

All of this just confused Akemi. No one had even told her she was going to stay in an entirely separate room.

"W-wait, I don't understand," Akemi said sadly as they stopped outside of her room's door. "Is there a reason I'm so far from you guys? Did I do something wrong?"

"No, you didn't," he replied and then handed her another key without elaborating an answer for her concerns. "This is your room key. Please don't lose this one either. All of us will have spares just in case an emergency occurs. I also hope that it's alright with you that we set up some surveillance cameras at the front entrance and by the balcony just to monitor who goes in and out of the room." He gestured at the tiny camera that was stationed above them. Akemi spotted it but it was only noticeable if you were looking for it.

"Yeah, that's okay," she replied, lowering her gaze down to the floor. She still couldn't get her mind off of certain things and now, it felt like the task force was trying to push her away from them. "Thank you..."

Her voice sounded so soft and sad. L could easily tell she was still upset. "Akemi, are you alright?" he asked.

Refusing to make eye contact with him, she uttered, "Yes, I'm fine..."

Again, he didn't believe her and wondered if she was only avoiding every opportunity to talk everything through with him. "But I can tell something is wrong."

"There isn't," she denied.

"You asked me to talk about things with you and never keep things from you," he reminded her.

"Yes, I know, but-"

"Then why are you keeping things from me and lying to me?"

Akemi felt like he was suffocating her with all of these questions. "I'm not..."

"You are. I can tell you are."

"But, I'm not-"

"Is this about your mother, Akemi?"

"N-no..."

"Do you need to talk about it?"

"Well, I-"

"Maybe I could help."

"No, I don't think-"

"Why don't you start from the beginning and tell me what happened?"

Akemi couldn't take it anymore. "God, Ryuzaki! Why do you have to keep asking me about my mom? Why do you have to treat everything like you're trying to get information about a case? You want me to talk but you're not even listening to me! Just stop it!" The words just flew out of her mouth before she could stop them. Once she realized she had raised her voice to him, she forced herself to calm down and speak to him with much more civility. "I told you, I don't want to talk about it...Please just drop it.."

Akemi turned away from him slowly and faced her door since she didn't want to end up crying in front of him. She felt even worse now after yelling at him. The hallway became awkwardly silent as Akemi hoped he would read her mind like he usually could and somehow pick up the hint that she wanted him to hold her, but he hesitated to approach her. It was clear to L that Akemi had become more disheartened and was in need some kind of consolation. He moved closer to her so that he was right behind her and slowly raised his hand up to her shoulder so he could turn her around and hug her but, then, he paused. His hand hovered just a few inches away from her for a long moment as his mind debated whether or not he should actually console her. After thinking it over, he retracted his hand and let it fall to his side. Even though she wanted him to, it didn't seem like the right time to him. Not only did he consider the possibility that she'd get even more angry and reject his attempt, he also didn't think he was ready to be that close with another person. He was able to deal with holding her hand, sitting beside her and carrying her, but initiating an embrace with someone when they were emotional wasn't something he could bring himself to do just yet. So, to Akemi's disappointment, he decided to just leave her alone. "I'm sorry," he said softly and sincerely. "I hope you like your room, Akemi." L had wanted to see her reaction to it but he thought it would be best to leave her alone again and give her some space. She stood there frozen with guilt and listened as he walked down the hallway and returned to his room.

Akemi gathered the strength to unlock her room's door and went inside. Her eyes stayed mostly on her feet until she turned one of the lamps on. She took a second glance at it and then realized that was the same lamp she had in her bedroom at home.  _'No...'_  Akemi thought to herself,  _'this has to be a coincidence, right?'_  Taking a further look around, she saw some of her pillows, stuffed animals and photos placed around the suite and even the blankets and sheets on the bed were her own. She noticed something familiar resting on top of the dresser and approached it. There, right in front of her, was her old cassette player and the tapes her mother had given her. A sudden soft laugh escaped her and then she lifted her hands to her face in surprise. Warm tears formed in her eyes and she did her best to fight them. She noticed there was already a tape inside and pushed down on the play button and let the song start. It was an old piano ballad she hadn't heard in years. Hearing it gave her a lot of mixed emotions.

"I told him not to do this..." she whispered aloud to herself but then realized L still did all of this even though she had opposed to it just to help her and make her happy. Akemi didn't have the heart to be mad about that. She sat on her bed, picked up the framed photo of her family off of the bed side table and then hugged it as she listened to the song play. A small, content smile gradually formed on her face and she let herself feel even just a little contentment. Her new room was starting to feel more like home already.


	12. Twelve.

Evening had approached. The task force was in the middle of one of their case discussions when Watari stepped in and announced, "Ryuzaki, something seems to be happening on Sakura TV."   
  
They turned the room's television on immediately and listened to the live report.  _"In other words, all of our reporters and staff here are Kira's hostages. Aside from that, we have a professional obligation to share this message with you. I assure you that this is not a hoax, and that Sakura TV is not airing this tape for the purposes of sensationalism..."_

* * *

Meanwhile, Akemi was sitting alone in her own suite, feeling a bit lonely and picked up her cell phone and then eyed Ryuzaki's number. Her eyes stared at the screen as she silently debated whether or not she should call him. She was feeling guilty for the way she had yelled at him earlier and she really wanted to apologize. But she feared he might be mad at her and wouldn't answer. She was also worried he was working and she didn't want to bother the task force again while they could be in the middle of something important.

On the other hand, she knew she couldn't just avoid him. She also knew if she screwed up and hurt him and didn't put in any effort to talk it out with him, he might lose interest and close himself off from any possibility of relationships altogether again. The longer it took for her to make amends, the more difficult it would be to face him.

After a few more minutes of contemplating her next move, she finally decided to just go back to the task force's meeting room and speak with L face to face. Not only did she want him to hear her apologies, she wanted him to confirm her sincerity with his own eyes. To her, it would feel more like an empty apology if it was weaved into a brief conversation over the phone. That wasn't good enough for her.

Gathering enough courage to face him, she rose up from the couch and walked over to her door and opened it. Then, just as she was stepping out of her room, she heard someone walking down the hall in her direction, talking on their cell phone. Akemi didn't mean to eavesdrop but the stranger spoke loudly and it was hard not to overhear her. "Sakura TV? Are you sure it's really Kira though? Two people are dead already?? Okay, I'm on my way to my room to watch it now..."

After hearing that, Akemi contemplated going back inside her room to watch it or if she should go see Ryuzaki as planned. Her thoughts were interrupted when she saw what looked like Ukita bolting down the hallway on the other end. "Mr. Uchida?" she called out but he didn't stop. She had no idea if he left because of the Kira message or if it was for some other reason and she thought about going after him to see if she could do something but ultimately decided to remain in her room. Even though she was concerned, she went back inside of her suite and locked her door.

Akemi turned on her tv, found Sakura TV and sat down on the couch as she watched the live news report. She listened to the creepy synthesized voice as it stated Kira's message. _"I intend to create a new world. A perfect world that is free from evil. If you agree to join me in my mission, I know we can make it happen. And as long as no one tries to catch me, I promise that the innocent will not die. Even if you don't agree with me, all I ask is that you not publicize your views in the media. If you can do that, you will be spared. Soon we'll have a new world inhabited by kind-hearted, honest people. Try to imagine it. A world where the police and I would..."_

_"Kira is killing people to make the world fear him and is forcing his ideals onto people and trying to silence anyone who goes against him..."_  Akemi thought.  _"This can't lead to anything good..._ " Akemi's hand trembled in fear and the remote fell out of her hand and hit the carpeted floor. When she picked it up with her shaking hand, she accidentally changed the channel and she was about to switch it back but stopped when she heard a woman's voice say,  _"We're interrupting the program to take you live outside the Sakura TV studio. As you can see, someone has collapsed just outside the door...."_  Almost instantly, Akemi was able to recognize Kira's victim.

Akemi gasped and then froze in horror as her tear filled eyes stared at Ukita's lifeless body lying on the ground for the entire world to see. She had just seen him only minutes ago. And now, he was dead. It just didn't seem real to her at first.

It didn't take long for it to hit her though and her mind instantly thought of Ryuzaki and the rest of the task force. She had no idea if any of them had been with Ukita when he died and she wondered if they were in danger too. It felt like her entire world had stopped for a long moment. "Oh, no..." she whispered through her deep, quivering breaths. With her trembling hands, she picked up the phone they had given her and tried calling a few of the numbers they saved on it for her but she wasn't getting an answer. This just made her panic even more. Without even thinking, Akemi darted off of her couch and hurried out of her room and ran to the task force's suite's door. In her haste, she had forgotten the key so she knocked frantically as her heart raced quicker and harder than it ever had in her entire life.  _"God, please be safe, guys, please...I can't lose anyone else, please..."_  The ten seconds she stood there waiting for some kind of answer felt like an eternity to her.

The door opened and Akemi bolted inside the task force's room. No one was surprised to see her since they knew she had to have seen what had happened. Akemi's eyes scanned the room for everyone and when she saw L shivering in his chair, she rushed right over to him. "Ryuzaki....I saw it...I saw everything..." she said through her breaking voice as she knelt in front of him. L slowly raised his gaze to her and saw that her eyes glistened with tears. The task force had been able to keep the fact that they were working on the Kira investigation hidden from Akemi so she had no idea that Ryuzaki was L and that this was their main case. But after seeing the way Ukita had been killed, Akemi worried that Kira might target the rest of them or any officers who tried to step in and stop Kira's broadcast. Akemi feared more than anything that something might happen to L. She could see how scared he was despite his continual attempts to calm himself. His body was still trembling from seeing Ukita die and from being grabbed and yelled at by Aizawa. Akemi hadn't witnessed Aizawa's outburst so she thought that he was being affected by his inability to help Ukita. It was difficult but Akemi tried not to break down in front of him since she didn't want to upset him any further than he already was. He looked so vulnerable and emotional. Akemi had never seen him in this state before. Normally, he was able to keep himself collected and successfully repressed what he was feeling most of the time. But he appeared to be failing. Akemi felt like crying her eyes out but couldn't just watch him for one more second. She rose up from the floor and then lifted her arms and wrapped them around his neck, pulling him close. Akemi felt him freeze up and go still for a long moment but she didn't let go. L hadn't been hugged in a really long time so he wasn't sure how to act now. He didn't push her away even though that was his first instinct. If he did that, he knew it could upset her since he could tell she was only trying to help him. He just attempted to stay calm and reminded himself that Akemi would never hurt him. All he could do was just let her hold him. His quivering body felt so tense in Akemi's arms. He hadn't moved even slightly since she had enveloped him. He didn't even lift his own arms to hug her back and it concerned her that she didn't feel him return her embrace. But she didn't know he wasn't used to being comforted like this. She assumed he was just frozen because he was in shock. This caused her to hold him a bit tighter.

The moments were flying by and L knew they didn't have a lot of time to waste. That broadcast wasn't going to just stop itself. He had to get back to work even if he needed more time to compose himself. The only option he had was to snap out of it as quickly as he could manage. "Akemi, you should head back to your room," L he whispered softly to her as she held him. He said it so quietly that only she could hear his voice. "Things may get intense here. I'll visit you as soon as I'm able to."

"Are you sure?" she asked. She didn't want to let him go until she could be sure he felt better. "I can stay if you need me."

"Yes," L said and gently broke her embrace. "I'm sure."

Akemi was reluctant to leave him, but she wanted to avoid escalating the situation and upsetting him by protesting. "Okay..." she agreed and then looked right into his eyes and said, "Please stay safe," just before rising up from the floor and taking a long, worried gaze at him as she left the room. Once she closed the door behind her, she told herself to keep her emotions in because she couldn't let them hear her if she started crying right there. With every bit of inner strength she had, she composed herself as much as she could and then returned to her own room, alone.

* * *

Akemi had left her door unlocked for L and he had a feeling she was waiting for him so he just opened her door and went on inside. The room's lights were all off and the sun was beginning to rise. L saw her sitting on the floor near her room's open balcony door. The drapes were moving subtly in the soft morning breeze. Akemi sat with her arms around her legs and her head was resting on top of her knees and her hair was down and curtaining her face. L slowly approached her and then knelt beside her without saying a word. She knew he was there but just continued sitting silently while the wind swept through the room, lifting parts of her hair momentarily every few seconds. She still hadn't looked up or responded and L wasn't really sure what to do. He didn't have a lot of experience consoling people and he definitely wanted to avoid saying or doing something that could make her feel worse. So, at first, he didn't do anything else. He simply sat with her and watched her and waited until she felt like talking to him. L knew she had been under a lot of emotional stress lately and had a feeling she wouldn't be able to keep it inside much longer. Every bit of sadness and fear she had been bottling up for the past few days was about to unravel. A few minutes went by and he heard her quivering voice break the silence. "I was so scared...." she said faintly. She lifted her head and L saw how red her eyes were from staying awake and crying. "I...I thought...I thought you..." She couldn't even finish her sentence and began sobbing again. Akemi didn't think he would want to hold her so she started to lower her face back onto her knees but L moved closer to her and grasped her arms and pulled her toward him. He finally embraced her this time and he sat still while she cried on his shoulder. "I don't want to be scared like that ever again..." she whispered through her sobs. "First my mom...then my dad...I don't know what I would do if anything happened to you..."

Hearing this honestly surprised L. Before now, he never thought anyone could care about him that much. He wasn't quite sure how to feel about it. He just stayed quiet as she went on.

"I'm so sorry if I annoyed you too much and made you want me to move to my own room..." she uttered, worried that he'd end up having enough of her and she'd end up alone and have to deal with everything that was happening on her own. "I'm sorry I yelled at you when you were trying to help me...And I'm sorry if you don't want to be with me anymore..."

"No, it's not like that," he assured her, his voice soft and comforting.

"I'm also so sorry about Uchida," she continued. "I saw him leaving and I thought about going after him but I didn't because I didn't know why he left and I didn't know if I could even help anyway so I just stayed in my room like a coward...I'm sorry, Ryuzaki, it's my fault he died..."

"No, Akemi, it isn't," he promised her. "None of us knew what was going to happen. When he left, I thought he'd be safe, but later discovered that wasn't the case...Please don't guilt yourself over something you had no control of. It wasn't your fault."

"Still...I feel like I should have done something..."

"I've felt like that too..." he confessed softly, then stopped himself before he would regret opening up too much. L sat quietly with Akemi as she cried and wondered how he could have let something like that slip out. A few more minutes passed and then Akemi spoke again.

"She left us..."

L was caught off guard by her random statement. "What, Akemi?"

She went on to elaborate. "You asked about my mom...She left my dad and me when I was seven. She dropped me off at school one morning and told me she loved me like she always did and then when I came back home...she was gone. No letter. No phone call. Nothing...It was like she just disappeared and never wanted us to find her again. It made it so hard for me to make friends because whenever I tried, I would just get scared that they would get tired of me and leave me like my mom did...But when I met you, that feeling of fear never came...You're the first person I've trusted since then and I feel safe and happy when I'm with you and it felt like I was going to lose all of that and I just couldn't bear it..."

This was quite a lot for L to take in. But instead of asking for more details, he decided that since she was honest with him, it was only right to be honest with her. "I'd like to confess something as well, Akemi." She tried to calm down and listened to him. He knew the rest of the task force would more than likely get angry at him for doing this but he just wanted her to know at least one thing about him. "I think it's important for you to know that...I'm L."

Akemi thought she had misheard him at first. She lifted her head up and looked up at him and could see how serious he was. "L?" she asked softly as she let all the small details add up inside of her mind. "As in...*the* L?"

He nodded. "Yes."

Considering everything that had been happening, it all actually made sense to Akemi. She wasn't even as shocked about it as either of them had expected her to be. Honestly she felt a little silly for not realizing it in the first place. She couldn't stop herself from smiling a little. "Really?" was all she could say.

Seeing her smiling made him do the same, even if it was small. "Yes," he said once again. "But as a precaution, please continue to call me Ryuzaki."

"Okay," she agreed. There were so many things Akemi knew she should ask him but she was just too emotionally exhausted to be curious at the moment. Akemi lifted a hand to her face and wiped some of her tears off of her cheeks and suddenly felt a little self-conscious with the world's greatest detective sitting there with her while she was being an emotional wreck. "I didn't even sleep...and I'm such a mess right now...I'm sure I look hideous...How can you even look at me?"

L shook his head no then spoke as honestly as he possibly could. He wanted her to believe him. "You're beautiful."

A modest smile grew on Akemi's face and her heart skipped a beat. "I had no idea that someone as smart as you was so superficial. I thought you were above all of that nonsense."

"Who said I meant only your appearance?"

Her red, puffy eyes, running nose, and tear stained cheeks were simply signs to L of Akemi's empathy. He didn't find it unappealing at all. While he believed acting on emotions distracted people from logic, he still admired how caring Akemi was. She worried for the people that meant something to her and L knew that he was one of them. Akemi managed to smile at him again and he pulled her into another hug. She felt safer than ever now and didn't want to ever let go.

"You should try to get some rest," L told her after he released her. "And, Akemi, one of my suspects from another case is very likely coming to our room today and I don't want him to see or interact with you so please avoid leaving this room. If you need to speak with any of us, just call one of our numbers. And please try not to talk to anyone except us. No matter how nice someone seems, don't introduce yourself. But if you do have to give someone your name, use this alias." L reached into his pocket and pulled out a fake ID card and placed it into her hand. "It's the same name Watari will be using to check you in when we stay at different hotels. And please dispose of everything that has your real name on it, including your real ID."

"Oh, alright," Akemi replied and then read the details on her fake ID. "Aya Oshiro...? Did you pick this name for m-"

"My apologies if it isn't to your liking," he interrupted. "It might have been best to let you choose your own name..." She noticed he appeared to be feeling a bit flustered all of a sudden.

"No, no, it's fine," she assured him, letting another smile grow on her face again. "I love it."

Seeing her reaction put him more at ease. He returned her smile with a small, but consoling one. "I should get back to work now," he announced. "Are you going to be alright? Should I send someone to look in on you?"

"I'll be okay," she told him, giving him a convincing smile. "I just need to get some sleep."

"Okay then, I guess I'll be going-" L was starting to rise up from the floor when Akemi's arms embraced him and stopped him, taking him by surprise for a moment. She just wanted to hug him one more time before he left her alone. L realized this and Akemi smiled again after she heard a small, soft laugh escape him. The sound of his laughter was her favorite sound in the world. "Please stay safe," she said once again.

"Don't worry about me," he told her even though he knew she was going to anyway no matter what he said.

"You know that's impossible, right?" she asked as she watched him stand up.

L didn't even try to argue with her and just said, "Remember what I told you, Miss Oshiro..." and then started to leave her room. Akemi smiled after she heard him address her by the alias he chose for her. But once she knew he was gone, she started to feel sad again.


End file.
